Shadows of Fate, Angels of War
by Red Mage 04
Summary: Ten years have passed since the Battle of Knothole, and Mobius has been restored to its former glory. A new war is brewing, though. Victory rests in the hands of a broken and shattered hero, but he will have to learn that wars cannot be fought alone.
1. Prologue: Freedom, Fireworks, and a Brok

Okay, I hope everyone's having a good day, and that this update has found you in good health. Been doing some brainstorming, and I think I've got most of this stuff ironed out.

As always, my thanks to you people who have taken the time out of your busy lives to read this story. I hope you will find this tale to be as entertaining as the last one, and that the new characters don't boggle your mind. (For the record, anyone who has not read 'Ghosts of the Past' is going to be really, really confused.)

Lawyers: ARRRRGH! I grow weary of having to spell out this bloody disclaimer. Where is Naga Sadow when I need him? As usual, I own nothing except for those characters who have been thought up in my own mind.

That said, let's get this show on the road.

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Shadows of Fate, Angels of War

* * *

Prologue: Freedom, Fireworks, and a Broken Hero.

The wind whipped through the courtyard, picking up a few fallen leaves and scattering them about. It was a breeze that howled almost like a whirlwind, but if one listened carefully, one might hear the sound of a youthful laugh from within it, or pick out the slightly off color brown blur that was responsible for the creation of said whirlwind.

Princess Saria Acorn loved to run, and she had indeed inherited her father's ability to dash about at speeds that seemed to baffle the mind. However, she lamented the fact that she was unable to do it anywhere but out here (her first attempt at running through the castle some years back had resulted in enough damage to dash her hopes of ever being able to do so again). She also wished that she wasn't alone when she did this.

Her father, she often thought of him when she was running, wondered what he had been like. She didn't ask her mother very much, as it usually resulted in her breaking down. Uncle Elias and both of her grandfathers would adopt a somber expression, and tell her that he'd been a great hero, a man who'd almost single-handedly saved their world on numerous occasions. Her third grade history books spoke much the same of him, and even gave her a picture of him. But that wasn't what she'd wanted to know.

Still, she thought to herself as she completed another lap, she supposed she'd have to make do with what she could. One day, though, she vowed that she'd find out what she desperately needed to know.

"Saria!" she heard a voice calling, and turning, she saw her mother approaching.

The young girl skidded to a halt, kicking up a dust cloud and letting a smile come to her face. She'd been running full speed for twenty minutes she figured, a new personal best.

"What is it, mom?" she inquired, crossing her arms and tapping her booted foot.

Sally had long since grown used to seeing that gesture, one that was painstakingly akin to the man she'd loved. "It's time to get ready, the celebration's starting soon."

Saria scolded herself. How could she have forgotten? Tonight was the celebration of their Independence Day. It would be the ninth anniversary of the day in which Robotnik had been toppled. It might have been an event that had happened months before she was born, but she knew its importance. It had been the day that victory had been assured.

Her history books painted it in glowing detail, though the manner of the tyrant's death had not been spoken of in the text. She'd asked around, her mother, Aunt Bunnie, General Antoine, but they didn't know what had taken him down either. Apparently, no one knew how he'd died, and rumors from abounded, from experiments gone wrong to the ghosts of the angry dead rising up to take vengeance.

Silently, she nodded, and followed her mother back to the palace.

* * *

"Goddess help me, I hate having to get into this thing!" Sally grumbled, as Bunnie helped her with the many laces and straps of the gown that she was going to be wearing.

"Got to show off for the public, Sally-girl," her friend said, smiling and shaking her head. "Look on the bright side, at least you ain't your brother."

The princess said nothing, but she did feel a swell of pity for her twin sibling. A couple of years ago, her father had retired from the throne, and that placed Elias up on it. It wasn't something that he was adjusting to with any degree of enthusiasm. Still, she figured that he was doing okay so far.

After a few more moments, Bunnie backed away, a satisfied smile upon her face. Sally looked to the mirror in the room, gazing into its depths with a frown. The outfit was the same blue color as her vests and boots, and it complemented her longer hairstyle rather well. However it was also quite restrictive and she hated having to wear it.

There was a knock at the door all of sudden.

"Come in," she said, turning about slightly.

The door slowly opened, and in walked Antoine. The coyote was dressed in his splendid general's outfit. It was a rather dashing black, with highlights of gold upon the shoulders and the middle of the boots. A golden chain also crossed the front of the chest and the waist, the lower having a tabard coming off of it, which hung down to knee level, and had the eternal serpent emblazoned upon it. Several medals also dangled off of his chest, catching the light and glittering.

The outfit's appearance was deceptively ceremonial. It also served a practical purpose, at Antoine's own insistence. The cloth was actually a mesh armor weave, while ferrosteel plates were hidden within it.

"Good evening ladies," he said with a bow and nary a trace of his formerly famous accent.

"Was wondering when you were going to arrive, sugar," Bunnie said, moving over and planting a kiss upon him. "How's Guy?"

"Having to put up with the other princess," the officer responded as he ran a hand through his neatly combed hair, which was tied back into a ponytail style that had been popular some three or four hundred years ago. It was a tad difficult to see, though, because his uniform had a rising collar that covered most of the sides and back of his head.

"Saria is behaving herself isn't she?" Sally inquired, a stern look coming over her face.

"For the most part, yes, but you know how she is about having to dress up so formally," Antoine replied with a shrug.

"She's got her father's free spirit, Twain, you know that," his wife said with a careless wave of her hand. "Now I think we've dallied around enough. Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

The little girl was always amazed by these displays. Fireworks turned night into day, blossoming into a myriad of patterns and colors, shinning down upon a restored Mobotropolis. Everywhere, people were cheering, celebrating the joy of freedom. It was all so mind boggling to her in a way. She supposed that, having never lived under the harsh reign of Robotnik, she couldn't fully appreciate moments like these, but her mother had always told her never to take it for granted.

The tales that she'd heard of those dark times sent an involuntary shiver down her spine, in particular, those that pertained to the last few days before the overlord was finally toppled, of the instrument of death that he had unleashed upon the resistance: Norrack.

That name had become almost synonymous with evil and darkness in this time. Her history books spoke of the horror he had been, a cold, ruthless butcher of Mobians. Hundreds had died by his hands, slaughtered in ways that would have made even the staunchest stomach turn. She knew more about him than most did, though, mostly because her mother and her mother's friends were among the only group of people to have ever faced the cyborg killing machine and have come out of it alive. They had not escaped unscathed, though, and they all bore scars of the encounter.

They spoke of him with loathing in their voices whenever he was mentioned. All but two people however. To the young girl's surprise, her mother used a tone that was more one of pity, as did Uncle Chuck. Her mother had been the one to defeat Norrack, to remove his threat forever. Yet, despite the fact that it had cost her an arm, and in spite of all that he had done, she never referred to him as a monster. He'd been a slave, she said, a poor soul who'd been captured and twisted into the demon that had attacked them.

That had always confused her, and she wondered which version of him was the real one. She supposed that she'd never know, and perhaps that was for the best.

"Well look who we have here," she heard a voice say from behind.

Turning, she found herself looking up at a fox. He was in his late teens, and there was a slight sparkle in his eyes. He wore a long, black coat that hung down to his knees, and gloves of the same color were upon his hands. She felt a pulse of joy, and rushed forward, leaping into his arms.

"Tails!" she shouted, giggling madly.

"How's my favorite cousin?" he asked, having to resist the urge to ruffle her hair like he normally did.

"Doing great!" she exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air.

"Good to hear, where's your mom?" he inquired, a smile coming to his face.

Saria simply pointed over to the float that they would have to be getting on soon. Her cousin nodded, before putting her down and walking over. She followed him, deciding that it was time for her to go back to the others anyway. Uncle Elias was supposed to come out soon, and after that, they would be ready to start. And the sooner they started this little procession, the sooner it would be over and she could get out of this stupid dress.

"Hi guys," Tails said, waving at them as he approached.

There was a chorus of hellos and hugs, everyone exchanging greetings with one another.

"How are your folks, kiddo?" Bunnie asked, a crooked smile upon her visage.

"Mom and Dad are doing fine," he said, returning the grin. "We'll be about halfway down the route, just look for the blinding flash of light reflecting off of military medals, and that'll be my old man."

"Did…" Sally began, to which her former foster son shook his head.

"No, the chemo's got him down." the young man replied, his smile suddenly gone. "Yesterday we went over to check on him. Aunt Sally, he looks like a ghost. I'm not sure if it's the cancer, his old war injuries, or what, but he's not doing good."

"I see…" she said.

"Well, do you know where Amy is?" the fox inquired, trying to steer the subject away from such a morbid topic. "I promised her that she could hang out with us during the parade."

"She should be down shortly," the princess replied.

Amy and Tails had become fast friends over the years, a bond that had been forged in the attack that still scarred them. She knew why her 'son' wore that coat: his burns. The wounds had been worse than they'd thought initially. The fur had never grown back, leaving his bare flesh exposed, his scars exposed. He hid them underneath that thing, as if he was ashamed by them.

The good news was, though, that about two and a half years after they'd started deroboticizing people, a wondrous thing had occurred. They'd found his parents. Amadeus and Rosemary had been sent to a strip mine up in the northern reaches of the planet. It had been a bittersweet reunion to watch. On the one hand, she was thrilled that the little boy had finally been reunited with his true parents. On the other hand, it had meant that he had drifted a little further away. He still visited regularly, bringing his mother and father along, but he was no longer her son, not in the way he had been.

She thought back to those times, and to how different things were now. The old gang was still pretty much intact, though Dulcy, Lupe, and Reynard had left to be with their people. She looked around, her gaze going to her friends. Antoine and Bunnie were next to each other, their seven year old son, Guy, fidgeting slightly in his small uniform. He was almost a mirror image of his father, though he seemed to have inherited a bit of his mother's hair, as that brown mop on top of his head absolutely refused to be tamed.

Rotor and Uncle Chuck were there, as well, discussing the project that the old man was working on, doubtlessly trying to figure out how to get the latest bug out of it. Despite all their attempts, and all these years, they had still never managed to get the secret of manipulating the time and age of flash cloned limbs. Being more of tech specialist than anything else, Rotor was of limited help, but he could still offer some advice.

Some minutes passed before the others emerged and joined them.

Her father walked more slowly these days, the age and the stress of his time in the Void clearly showing upon him. His hair was gray, and a few wrinkles showed themselves around his face. He was cheerful most of the time, especially since he had retired. But there were still times when Sally had caught him crying softly out in the gardens or some place like that. It was clear that he was still haunted by his decisions at the Battle of Knothole, as it had been termed.

Elias looked relaxed as well, a pleasant change for him. He was under a lot of stress due to his new role in the affairs of the planet. She hoped he would adjust in time, and was just grateful that their world was at peace and his greatest woes were keeping the economy afloat and things of that nature.

Then there was Amy. The pink hedgehog looked rather beautiful this night, despite the fact that she was confined to a wheelchair. It was one of the older models that had wheels as opposed to repulsors, something she'd insisted upon herself. She lived her with the rest of them, often trying to help Uncle Chuck out. She'd graduated from school and was now assisting the old man with his medical research, no doubt hoping that one day she'd be able to walk again.

She made a beeline for Tails, and the two of them were soon talking about what they'd been doing. The former talked about how they were getting closer to finding a breakthrough, while the latter lamented the fact that it would be another two years before he could grab his engineering doctorate. Sally couldn't help but laugh softly at that last bit. The kid was a genius, there was no denying that. He would do great things for this world, of that she had no doubt.

Her eyes fell upon the final person who was emerging, and that smile disappeared. It was Geoffrey St. John.

"Evening, luv," he said, his voice smooth and charming, attempting to make up for the hideous scars upon his face. She simply glared at him, silently telling him to leave her alone while having to resist the urge to punch him with her cybernetic arm.

He still hounded after her, thinking to claim her. That was, when he wasn't busy giving advice to Elias and focusing his efforts on political maneuvering. She'd always wondered how he could be dense enough not to get the message. Even if she hadn't had a child to rear, her heart belonged to one person, and one person only.

Sonic, the thought of him brought pain to her. He should have been here, should have been able to watch the fruits of their labors, the victory that they had all worked so hard for. Cruel fate indeed that he had been unable to, that he'd been snatched away by Death mere weeks before their victory. How she wished she could see him again, embrace him, watch him run with his daughter.

Why had he had to die? She wondered to herself.

* * *

Unknown to the princess, or to any of them, was that the man they longed to meet once more was still very much alive, though it could not be said if he was the same person that he had been all those years ago.

The elevator door opened with a ding, and he tensed, wondering what the corridor would bring. He dropped to one knee, and closed his eyes behind his 'visor.' A slight smile tugged at the edge of his mouth a second later. He stood up and grabbed something off of his back with his left hand before blasting out of the lift.

He hit the wall feet first, then angled off, moving towards the two security droids with such speed that they never had time to raise their weapons. There was the sound of humming, followed by clanking as the pieces of the machines fell to the ground.

He didn't even stop to look back, as he knew he'd just put them out of the fight. He had to move, fast. Security was getting more intense by the second. Two minutes had passed since he'd tripped an alarm, and that meant that it wouldn't be long before those machines were replaced with real soldiers, warriors of flesh and blood. He didn't feel like facing any of those guys down tonight, especially since he had left them a nice surprise back in the heart of the base.

He pounded along the walkway, his active camouflage making him look like nothing more than a passing blur, a phantom or a spirit. However, he'd discovered over the past few months that the soldiers that his brother had created were not easily fooled by this device, and if so much as one spotted him, he'd have a whole blasted squadron firing away at him.

And those guys were pretty deadly with their aim.

He felt the prickling sensation, saw the flash in his mind, and dove forward, rolling along the ground as a purple tinted beam smashed into the ferrosteel wall above his head, tearing a large hole in it and spraying shrapnel everywhere. His shield gauge flashed a bit, but didn't drop by a noticeable amount. Still, he figured that the jig was up, and it was time to come out of hiding. He could use the extra power to reinforce his defenses anyway, and set his shields to overcharge.

He came up out of the roll as the light bending camouflage faded away, revealing him to the world. Anyone looking upon him would have noticed that he was different now. His armor, while it still possessed an appearance that made him resemble a walking tank, was sleeker, more organic in appearance, and the whole thing looked as if it were made from one giant piece of metal. Gone were the unarmored joints and the large gap in the armor around the sides of his torso. It was also a great deal more impressive than his old suit was in other ways, sporting better shields, more versatile weapons, and a _much_ studier and more complex array of computer systems. All of these served to turn him into an even more destructive killing machine then he had been in times past.

One of these days he was going to have to send Snivley a thank you note for coming up with this design.

He rounded a corner, coming face to face with a trio of enemy soldiers. In a flash, their blaster rifles were up, sending bolts flying at him. His twin blades were ready to meet them as they sailed in, sending the shots into the walls and floors. Within seconds, the hallway was choked with smoke and the acrid stench of vaporized metal. It didn't appear to bother the eyesight of either party involved, since the guards kept firing, slowly retreating as they did so, while the shots kept speeding back at them.

One took a deflected round dead in the chest. He gave a grunt and staggered, but did not go down. He shook off the hit, and began to quickly return fire once again.

Sonic snarled to himself as he knocked away another volley. He didn't have time for this. Blocking another shot, he reached out to where they were, and gave a quick flick of his left arm. The three soldiers were suddenly knocked off of their feet and thrown into the wall with such violence that he thought he heard a neck snap. Still, he wasn't about to take chances, and he dashed forward, whipping both of his weapons about. A second later, he scored three hits on the downed soldiers, three more kills.

He heard others coming from behind, and with a thought, his shoulder cannon was up and pointed at the wall. It too was different. It was larger, and now possessed two barrels, one on top of the other. A whine was heard, and then the weapon's upper barrel emitted a stream of purple energy. It slammed into the wall, some forty feet distant, and exploded. He didn't stop to check and see how much damage he had done, there was no time to waste.

Another thirty seconds of running put him outside of the building, and he leaped out off of the balcony. He landed with his feet and right hand spread out, before sheathing his twin weapons and making a dash for the swoop bike that he'd hidden in an alley.

He hopped on the hover cycle, and brought it to life. Then, with a roar, he shot out of the alley, quickly brining the machine up to full speed.

Less than ten seconds passed before he heard a shot ring out, and he grimaced behind his helmet, before looking back over his shoulder. Security droids. Well, he thought to himself, it could have been worse, they could be organics. Another bolt zipped by, and he began to weave back and forth, trying to give the robots the most difficult target possible for them to hit. He didn't dare slow down, though. Every second that passed was one less second left for him to escape, and he didn't want to be anywhere near this place when his gift went off.

He looked back again as another shot went by, sailing over his head by a mere six inches. He was just in time to watch two more bikes pull out, these ones driven by soldiers. They opened fire as soon as they were lined up, their blaster rifles spitting energy bolts at him with a disturbing level accuracy, considering they were both on bikes and weaving around at nearly four hundred kilometers per hour.

He cursed as a bolt hit him, impacting upon his shields and draining them a bit. They were getting closer, apparently, something that didn't surprise him. Their bikes were newer, better designed, and had better propulsion plant and slightly more aerodynamic shape to them than this Great War relic he was on. The fact that they were shooting at him with their rifles rather than the large anti-infantry cannon or the missiles slung underneath their cycles indicated something else as well: they still wanted him alive.

"To the Nine Hells with that!" he spat aloud, his voice just above a whisper.

He'd been captured once, and the result had been a slaughter. He would not be turned into some puppet to be loosed upon his former friends and loved ones again.

He was almost away from the base, and he at last saw a chance to loose his pursuers. A supply truck was moving in, crossing the road. He smirked as he saw the gap between the repulsor lifts. Closing his eyes, he reached out, sensed the length of the space, where exactly it was, where he would have to be in order to pull this off.

He heard his pursuers slowing down, as they realized that this route was closed, or so they thought. With a grunt, he yanked his swoop bike over, twisting it on its side.

He could feel the dura-crete scrapping against his shields, draining them rapidly, but the only needed to hold for just another second. He felt himself going under, and he mentally prayed that he'd lined up properly, especially considering that the vehicle in question was moving. If it turned out that he was off by so much as an inch, he'd find himself underneath a repulsor, and that would not be good for his health.

The next second seemed to pass in an eternity, time slowing to a crawl as he went underneath the massive transport. He held his breath, scarcely daring to breath.

Then it was over, he was through.

He yanked the swoop bike back up into its proper position, and sped off, leaving his pursuers in the dust.

* * *

"I want patrols to scour every inch of the base that he was in," the wolf barked into his helmet comm. system, his voice calm despite everything that was going on.

"Yes sir, searches are being conducted as we speak," the trooper on the other end of the line, a commander designated as RIN-3578 and termed A'den by his brothers and sisters, responded.

"Be sure to patch the feed through to us when they find whatever it was that he left," he continued.

"As you command, Mandalore," the soldier said, before going quite.

Jaster Merell fought the urge to sigh, and instead looked over to the rest of his family. They were all standing around the command room, waiting for their 'employer' to show up. Kex, a black panther, was overseeing a status check from personnel, seeing who was accounted for and who was dead. The twin snow leopards, Xarga and Daveriel were operating together as always, checking out security tapes that Sonic had been caught on, trying to see if there was a weakness or a pattern that they might be able to exploit, as well as keeping an eye out for any presents he might have left them. Xarga's wife, a husky named Kailenna, was assisting Brianna. Both were busy directing various damage control parties and getting troops to various evacuation transports just in case something should blow before they found it. Finally, Braska, the resident wolverine, was on the line with their superior, informing him of the situation and giving him up to the minute data on what was going on.

Jaster wondered how their boss would take this news. He was always something of an enigma to the Mandalorian, always thinking, always plotting, always managing to turn a setback to their advantage.

"Mandalore!" he heard Xarga call and he pivoted about, turning to face the snow leopard.

"Found something?" he asked, walking over.

"Yes sir," his comrade said, before gesturing to a video screen. "Watch this."

He hit the play button, and looking closely, squinting behind his helmet, Jaster could see a faint distortion in the file. It was Sonic alright. The chameleon like distortion paused, before apparently going down to one knee. He couldn't see much of what happened after that, due to the nature of the active camouflage, but after a minute or two, the blur stood, and then began to hightail it out of there.

"Look here, Mandalore," the Death Watchman said, gesturing to a region of the floor that was partially obscured by shadows of the overhead equipment.

Jaster studied it for a minute, and then saw the faint outline of something that hadn't been there before. It was black, and at first glance, looked to be about half the size of a soccer ball. It was a bomb of some kind, though, and that much he knew.

"Isolate that sector immediately and get an EOD squad there, double time!" he said to Xarga, before reopening a comm. link with A'den. "Commander, Evacuate building Sigma-27 immediately, you have an IED in it."

"Understood sir," the commander returned, before sending the order down the chain of command. "Orders are out on the device as well, there's a bomb squad in route, ETA three minutes."

"Good job, _ner vod,_" Jaster told him, pride in his voice as he thought of how well these troopers carried out their orders.

He only hoped they were able to diffuse that thing before it went off and destroyed all the equipment in the building. The last time Sonic had left them a present like this, it had taken weeks to get everything fixed, and that was at a larger base with more resources to spare for repairs.

The next three minutes ticked by far too slowly for Jaster's liking, and he found himself having to resist the urge to tap his foot against the floor. Finally, the EOD squad arrived.

It was a four man group, and one of them got down on his knees to get a better look at the device, while the other three began taking out various pieces of equipment that they would need for the job.

"MU-2344 here, sir," the one standing next to the device said. "There's a timer on this thing, looks like we've got about five minutes left before it goes boom. We're scanning it now, but it'll take a minute or so to know what we're dealing with. What's got me confused though is that this doesn't look like an IED."

"What do you mean, trooper?" the Mandalore inquired, his eyes narrowing. He did not like the sound of that.

"It's too sophisticated to be something that was just thrown together and improvised," the soldier replied. "This thing has the looks of a factory made bomb."

"Then you'd better find out what it is, and be quick about it!" the wolf said, very much unnerved by this turn of events.

He heard a door open, and without even turning knew who had just walked through.

"What's the situation?" their boss inquired, his cowl low over his face as he strode through.

"Explosive of some kind," Jaster responded. "Bomb squad's checking it out, and we should know what it is any moment now."

"My brother is busy as usual," Shadow said, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

They didn't have to wait much longer, as a couple of seconds later the soldier on the screen stiffened, and even with his helmet on, Jaster could tell that a spike of shock had just gone through him.

"Sir," he came over the comm. a moment later, "scan complete."

"What kind of explosives are we dealing with?" Shadow inquired, walking up the viewing screen.

"Scans show that it's a baridium based explosive," the EOD operative said, his voice calm.

There was a moment of pause within the command center, as everyone turned and looked at the screen, wondering if they had heard correctly. Jaster felt his eyes widen the point where they might have popped out of their sockets as he realized the implications of such a device.

"Can you disarm it, trooper?" the Mandalore asked, a slight quaver in his voice.

"Not inside of four minutes, sir," he replied, shaking his head, before bending back down over the device.

Jaster wasted no more time, opening up a comm. channel with A'den. "Commander," he yelled, "get everyone out of that base now! Explosive is a baridium tactical weapon, repeat, the IED has thermonuclear capacity!"

A'den, to his credit, didn't ask what he was talking about, but immediately began to scramble transport crews. Jaster, knowing there was nothing more he could do, turned his attention back to MU-2344 and his three comrades.

"I think this is a Star Burst, sir," the soldier said abruptly, "if it is, then we're dealing with about a hundred or so megatons here."

"Then why the hell are you still standing around it, trooper?" he growled. "Get to your sheb to your evac station, now!"

"Sir," the EOD operative responded, cool and calm considering there was a nuke with a ticking clock not a foot away from him, "there's no way we can get on a ship and get out of the blast range and shockwave before this thing goes off. We can't disarm it, but we might be able to mess it up enough to tone down the blast."

They all remained silent, until at last, Jaster bowed his head. "Good luck, _ade."_

"We'll do our best, Mandalore," the trooper said, and then he and his fellows threw themselves into their work.

He knew they would. It was what they were trained to do… what they were born to do.

He watched the seconds tick by, slowly counting down, ticking out the moments remaining in the lives of the four men and women huddled over it. They were resigned, fearless in the face of what they were doing, knowing they were going to die. They didn't care though, they were concerned about saving their _ner vode._ Jaster found himself almost moved to tears as he watched them work. They were better people than he could ever hope to be.

All the while Shadow stood in the center of the room, staring at the screen, his face hidden within the depths of his hood. He was like a statue, cold and unreadable.

Ten seconds were left, and still they worked. The final seconds ticked away, and still, they did their best to screw up that little black monster.

From the control room, they watched the timer hit zero. In an instant, the camera became static and white noise, along with every other one as well.

Jaster closed his eyes. He knew that it hadn't been possible for them to succeed, but he'd still hoped…

"That blast will likely have taken out a couple of their satellites," Shadow mused abruptly, his voice calm, devoid of any emotion whatsoever. "They'll no doubt scramble a few into position to try and figure out what happened." He reached down, and activated a wrist mounted comlink. "Jonathan," he addressed, waiting until he heard the nasal sounding reply, "the security of base Gamma's location may have been compromised. Get some cleanup crews down there ASAP, along with another cloaking device. If the Acorns figure out what's going on, we might be hard pressed to get everything to go as planned."

"Right away, sir," the man on the other end replied.

As Shadow killed the signal, he heard steps, and looked over his shoulder to see Jaster approaching.

"With your permission, sir, we'd like to go to the remains," the armored warrior said.

Shadow cocked an eyebrow behind his hood, and brought his thumb and forefinger to his chin. "Fine, Mandalore, you may go. But do try not to get yourself poisoned, I would hate to lose such a valuable asset."

The Mandalorian remained silent as he and the others filed out of the room, heading for a hangar bay.

For several minutes after they had left, Shadow remained where he was. Slowly, he began to chuckle as he thought of the devastation that his sibling had wrought. The other ARC was more vicious than he gave himself credit for. Detonating a baridium warhead, probably killing thousands, he was starting to get the picture, on how to bury his emotions and let himself become Death personified. His chuckle grew louder, becoming a chilling cackle.

"Well done, little brother," he said between his bouts. "What a shame it was that I could never convince you to stop being the Acorn's lapdog. How I wish I could have made you see that we are destined to rule this world, not them!"

* * *

He heard the sound of the shuttles streaking overhead, felt the shockwaves of the sound barrier desperately trying to catch up to them. The clock on his HUD display was about to approach zero, and he suddenly braked, sliding his swoop bike sideways and looking back in the direction of the base. He could still see craft scattering in all directions, looking as if they were emerging from out of the side of a jungle mountain.

The flashing blue numbers in the corner of his vision all became zeroes, and then the view in front of him lit up. He didn't even bat an eye, for he didn't truly see the explosion, just a computer's interpretation of it. He felt it though, despite the fact that he was easily thirty kilometers away from ground zero. The fireball rushed outward, consuming the 'mountain' and he saw hundreds of transport craft suddenly thrown into out of control tailspins, victims of the ferrosteel shattering shockwave that the Star Burst had created.

He felt some pain as well. Not physically, but within his mind, he felt a throbbing sensation as so much life was suddenly and decisively snuffed out.

"Goddess forgive me," he muttered aloud, closing his eyes, and bowing his head.

He hated having to do this, having to kill people like the ones he just had. They were no different from him, in the end. He knew what they were like, what level of choice that they had. His sorrow turned once again to rage, rage that was directed at one person.

"Damn you, brother!" he snarled as the fireball rose higher.

He meant it. Shadow knew what they were, what they had been meant to be, and he'd had the audacity, the _audacity,_ to use that technology to craft his army.

Still, there would come a time, one of these days, when he'd finally get lucky, when his brother's arrogance would enable him to slip in and get the final blow. He had to believe that, he had to. Then this madness would end. Until then, though, he would continue to fight, continue to defend those he loved from the shadows. Better that he soil his hands than them.

After all, he was probably already damned for what he had done nine years ago.

Snarling, he kicked his hover cycle back into gear, before speeding off back through the jungle.

Off in the distance, the sun began to rise, as if it had been woken from its sleep by the destruction that had just been wrought.

* * *

It was three hours later when they arrived at the scene. The area was once again cloaked, hiding them from the prying eyes of anyone who might have been trying to figure out what the hell had happened here earlier. The shuttle landed, and they stepped off.

Jaster was reminded of Armageddon as he stared around.

Gutted remnants of buildings were everywhere, the ferrosteel coverings turned into slag or outright vaporized, laid to waste by the awesome power of the weapon that Sonic had unleashed. The blast hadn't really been that large, though, despite the power. Star Bursts were very concentrated devices, and usually left craters no larger than a kilometer or two.

Baridium based weapons also left a brief irradiating signature. It only lasted a couple of days, as opposed to months or sometimes years of earlier, far more primitive implosion devices. The tradeoff was again, that the radiation was very intense. It was designed to kill anyone who had managed to somehow survive the blast within a matter of hours.

The Mandalore and his fellows were grateful for the protective qualities of their sealed armor. However, even the mighty defensive properties of their equipment would have been insignificant if they had been here. Such was the terrible truth that their soldiers were discovering now.

The blast had compromised the armor of those who had been closest to it and they now bore evidence of horrific radiation burns. The ones who could be saved had already been put through an emergency decontamination and then zipped off the nearest base for urgent medical treatment. Those that remained were going to die.

He walked over to where they were being kept, stretched out upon the ground. They didn't cry out, didn't release the agony that was doubtlessly coursing through them. Now and then, a med-tech would come by and see how they were coming along, before heading off to attend to other duties. Aside from that, they were utterly alone.

Jaster walked up and knelt down next to one of the troopers, a black panther. The man groaned, and opened his eyes part of the way. The pupils were swollen with pain, and no doubt his whole body was literally falling apart on a molecular level, but he still managed to somehow summon up the strength to salute. The wolf caught his hand as it came back down, gently squeezing it in a comradely manner. He looked over to the man's shoulder pauldron. It was blackened and scorched, but he was still able to make out the man's number: RIN-3578.

It was A'den.

"What are the causalities, sir?" the man asked, his voice cracked like a Mobian who was dying of thirst.

"Sixty five percent unaccounted for," the silver armored warrior said, his tone sober.

"Fierfek!" the commander swore, before closing his eyes. "I'm sorry, sir."

"Don't be," Jaster chided in a gentle tone, "you did good, _ade_, you did good. A lot more people got away than they would have if you'd hesitated."

He then reached down to his belt, and drew one of his heavy pistols. A'den cracked an eyelid at the sound, and he saw the weapon. He nodded, muttering a 'thank you.' His Mandalore then pressed the barrel of the weapon to the panther's skull, and pulled the trigger.

Slowly, reverently, he crossed the commander's arms over his chest, before standing and saluting the body. Without saying a word, he looked over to his fellows, his family, and he nodded his head. They obeyed, grateful that he was allowing them to do this.

Shots rang out in the night as the Death Watchmen went about their mercy killings. It was over a couple of minutes later, and scores of Mandalorians had been put out of their misery and anguish.

They had scarcely finished when they heard someone approaching.

"Waste of ammunition," the person said, his features hidden behind his radiation suit. "Why do you bother?"

They didn't need to see his face to recognize who he was, though. Any one of them would have known him simply by that distinctive voice of his.

"Because, Snivley," Brianna growled, laying her rifle up against her shoulder, "these people represent the hope and future of our race, and we will not watch them suffer needlessly."

"Ah yes, how could I forget?" the diminutive Overlander said. "And the name is Jonathan, or General Kintobor to you." He paused, shaking his head. "I don't see why you go to the trouble you do for these… soldiers. They're going to die, one way or another."

"As are we all, Snivley," Brianna snarled, her finger caressing the trigger of her rifle. "Some sooner than others if they do not pause to consider the wisdom of their actions."

Jonathan's body language translated into that of righteous indignation over the continued insulting, but he stormed off rather than continue with the verbal confrontation. Jaster was glad to see him go. He could tolerate working with a sociopath like Shadow, because he was providing them with the means to save their people. Jonathan was doing the same thing, but none of them could forget who that man had been, what he had done. If any of them could have gotten away with it, they would have gunned him down a long time ago.

The group had more important things to do right now than worry about right now, though, and they let the argument die.

Jaster sighed behind his helmet, his thought suddenly drifting to the man who had been responsible for all of this. Despite the fact that Sonic had just nuked one of their bases, and killed tens of thousands of their soldiers, he felt no hatred towards him. Indeed, he felt respect, and dare he admit it, honored to be matching his wits and skills against one of the greatest soldiers to ever grace Mobius with his presence.

He'd fought a one man war against them for more than five years, trying, valiantly, to hold back the tide that would soon spill forth upon this land. He had courage, cunning, and when sufficiently motivated, was instant death on legs. The Mandalore wondered if all of the famed 'Knothole Freedom Fighters' had such steel in them, or if nearly a decade of peace had made them soft.

He supposed they would find out soon enough.

Right now, though, he had to see to this mess, and pray that Sonic could not hit them like this again. His father and ancestors as his witnesses, he was not going to let his people die as they almost had…

* * *

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Okay, prologue taken care of. Hope you guys enjoyed it, and that I'm not trying to hit you with too much at once.

As always, advice, constructive criticism, flames, ideas, and all other forms of feedback are more than welcome.

Oh yeah, special thanks to animewhitewolf of deviant art for allowing me to use a drawing of his as the design for Antoine's outfit.

I leave you with that, and hope that the rest of the day treats you well.


	2. Reminiscing

Hello everyone, glad to see you again… actually, just glad to be here. Spent some time this week in the ER for mysterious chest pains. Turns out I've come down with a case of Costochondritis. It's basically like having inflammatory arthritis in your ribcage, and is believed to be triggered by stress. It's nothing dangerous, but it does hurt like hell when I'm not jacked up on some prescription strength ibuprofen that's about 5x stronger than the over the counter stuff.

My college induced health problems aside, I hope you've all had a great week, and that this update reaches you at a good time. To everyone who has read or reviewed, my humblest and sincerest thanks go out to you, and I hope I was able to reply adequately.

Lawyers: you know the drill, I don't own anything official, so bugger off!

EDIT: I apologize for a delay in answering reviews, hotmails having a stinking coniption fit right now...

* * *

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* * *

Reminiscing

The massive lift shot downwards, moving ever deeper into the crust of the planet. The ARC trooper sighed, popping the seal of his helmet and breathing in unfiltered air for the first time since he had set out in the middle of that November blizzard. It had been three months since he'd used the baridium bomb to remove Shadow's Gamma base from the face of Mobius. Three months since he'd killed forty thousand people in a single, horrific explosion.

He needed to add a few more troopers to that ever growing list of causalities that he'd acquired. This time it hadn't been anything quite so dramatic, just a raid on a convoy. It was in flames now, though he felt certain that the sub zero temperatures outside would quickly extinguish them. It would also soon cover the bodies of the sixty four enemy soldiers that he'd gunned down. There had been no survivors. Mercy was not something he could afford to dispense in a battle like that. Besides, considering what he was facing, he wasn't certain if he was killing them or putting them out of their misery.

The cargo elevator came to a stop, and as the doors opened, he walked over to a control, panel, entered some commands, and then watched as a group of crane like mechanisms came over and grabbed the LAAT gunship, before moving the craft over to where the rest were. He'd grab the supplies he'd nabbed later.

Once it was in line with the rest of them, he turned and header deeper into the complex. He walked down the corridors of Stonehenge, passing a couple of tech droids, one of which beeped and whistled at him in an angry manner, apparently upset about the little bit of snow and slush that he was tracking in. He ignored the little robot, and kept on walking. A set of double doors awaited him, and as he came nearer, hissed open for him.

"Destination, please," the voice of a computer inquired.

"Barrack twenty six," Sonic replied as he reached up and grabbed a steel bar above his head.

There was a whine, and the tram suddenly shot forward with such force that anyone who hadn't been holding something or sitting down would likely have been thrown off of their feet. It took it all of thirty seconds to arrive at its destination, where it came to a stop with another sudden jerk.

The doors opened again and he stepped out, the echoes of the computer wishing him a nice day died off behind him as they closed. The ARC trooper was tempted to roll his eyes at the hearing of that old phrase. He hadn't had a good day in nearly a decade.

He grabbed his helmet and cracked his neck as he took it off. He tucked it under one arm and then reached up and grabbed the back of his head, yanking his tethered quills out from the bodysuit that he wore. The hedgehog pulled the cord he used to keep them tied together, and with a shake of his head, his old hairstyle was back.

A sigh came from him as he rounded a corner and entered a seemingly random room. Dozens upon dozens of bunk beds and cots stretched out before him, and he walked forward until he reached the sixth row. He placed his helmet down on the little drawer that was beside it, and then removed his weapons harness before lying down on top of the bed. Then he folded his hands behind his head as he stared up at the bunk above him. Thoughts and memories melded and drifted in his mind, reminiscing of times past, both good and bad.

Sally, her blue eyes and her crimson hair, complete with that little heart stopping smile she would put on for him. He remembered the feel of her fur, soft and smooth, how she'd felt the night they'd spent together. The look on her face as she lay sleeping in his arms, the feeling of her heart beating against his chest, he started to smile at the memory of it.

That peaceful image of the one he loved was suddenly replaced with another one. She was dressed in her combat armor, driving her sword at him. It hit him, and sliced through metal and circuitry, but not before he'd started his own swing. He heard hear cry out as he'd raked her arm with his talons and ripped flesh open to the bone. That scream… it had been what had finally shaken him out of his stupor, what had given him the strength that he needed to break the neural chip's hold upon him just long enough for her to finish him.

Or so he had thought. He had been surprised to find out that he'd survived the fall, and it didn't seem likely that he should have. Then again, though, he shouldn't have survived that blast back in the Swat Bot factory either. He knew how he had now though.

Another image filled his mind, a large Overlander, his bloated gut confined in an armored jumpsuit. A cape swished behind him, and malice glowed in his crimson eyes: Robotnik.

A hatred filled him, just as fresh and savage as the day in which he'd broken free. He'd gotten even, though, had made Julian suffer before the end…

* * *

The doors hissed open as they entered the room, a trio of Swat Bots accompanying him. Robotnik sat in his command chair, while Snivley was up at a control panel, doing what he wasn't certain, but he didn't care right now. He had to focus, had to keep his act up. As ridiculous as the notion seemed, in his current, battered condition, the two of them might actually have been able to defeat him. That was not something he could allow, not after all that had occurred, all the deaths he'd been responsible for. They could not go un-avenged. The overlord's command chair swiveled around, revealing his nemesis.

"Norrack, good to see you in one piece," the large Overlander said as he stood up and motioned for the Swat Bots to leave. "I feared the worst once we lost contact with you. What happened and where is Mecha?"

"General Mecha went maverick," he replied, having to struggle to keep the glee out of his voice as he thought of how he'd dismantled his old rival. "He attempted to destroy me and allowed our primary target to escape."

"What did you do to him?" Robotnik asked.

"I defended myself," he answered.

"I see," the overlord said with a slight frown. "And what of the princess?"

"Due to the damage I sustained in fighting General Mecha, I was unable to capture her," was his answer, his tone as neutral as ever, though pain went through his soul as he remembered fighting her, hurting her.

"It's no serious matter I suppose," Julian responded with a shrug of his shoulders. "They can't have gone very far," he said and turned to face Snivley. "Get some tech bots up here to have Norrack fixed up. Once he's back to full combat efficiency, we'll send him out again. Those Freedom Fighters will be vanquished soon enough."

He heard those words, and blind rage rushed through him. He knew that he had to act quickly, though. Once those tech bots came up and started working on him, they might discover that his neural chip wasn't working, and then the jig would be up. He didn't like the thought of having to engage his nemesis in his current condition, but he'd have to chance it.

He walked up behind Robotnik, who turned around as he approached. The curving, sneering smile on his face faded to a look of blank surprise as Norrack unsheathed his vibro claws and lunged forward. However, halfway through his attack, Julian managed to stagger backwards slightly, turning what should have been a killing blow into a deep pair of gashes across his chest. He cried out in pain and lurched away, clutching a hand to the wounds as blood seeped up around his fingers.

"What?" he said, utterly baffled by this sudden turn of events.

"Hold still, Buttnik," Sonic growled, "you're only making this harder on yourself."

His voice had been calm, cold, as devoid of emotion as it had been when he'd been Norrack, nothing at all like he'd imagined it would have when he finally got this shot, finally got the chance to kill the overlord.

Robotnik snarled, and in retaliation, brought up his roboticized arm. A small hatch opened up on it, and what appeared to be some kind of hold out blaster popped out. He fired a burst from it, but even with all the damage that he had taken, the ARC trooper was still able to duck beneath the bolts. He jumped forward, angling himself slightly away from the large Overlander. He'd seen Snivley making a move for a large red button, and knew that he was about to try and summon reinforcements. He couldn't let that happen, as while Swat Bots were inferior to him, they would be able to take him down through their sheer numbers.

He managed to cut the smaller man off, burying his claws into the console and shredding the circuitry. Snivley retreated with a terrified scream. Normally, he would have smiled upon seeing that happen again, but a flurry of blaster bolts from Robotnik reminded him of more pressing matters. He reached back and drew his kaiburr sword. The blade ignited and the crimson bolts began to fly around the room as he swung it back and forth. He didn't want to get too close, not in his battered state. He needed maximum reaction time for this to work, and besides, that weapon had to run out of ammo at some point in time.

It wouldn't even come to that, as to the surprise of both combatants, one of the deflected shots flew right back at the weapon, impacting upon it and reducing it to slag. Sonic knew that was when he had to act. He jumped forward again ready to strike. However, at the last moment, he deactivated his weapon and unsheathed his talons. He wanted his foe to know the agony that came from being hit with a weapon like that. The cyborg succeeded, the two vibro claws coming down and severing the arm almost at the shoulder. The surprise, sudden fear, and pain all swarmed upon Robotnik's visage, and he fell backwards.

Sonic jumped again, activating his energy blade in mid leap and twisting it to where he held it like a dagger. He landed on the Overlander's chest, but before he could plunge the weapon down, Julian's mechanical arm caught his. It became a contest of strength as they both struggled against one another, as one of them tried to drive the weapon home, and the other desperately attempted to keep that from happening.

Servos whined and protested and they struggled back and forth. Slowly though, ever so slowly, Sonic began to win, the humming energy weapon began to gradually creep down closer to the tyrant's heart. Fear glowed in the crimson eyes, while victory began to shin in the emerald ones. The two met a moment later, and it was then that the cyborg spoke.

"Don't feel too bad, Buttnik," he said, his voice filled with icy poison, "in every game there are winners, and there are losers. And as you know, in this game, the losers die!"

With those mockingly ironic words, he roared, and then threw everything he had into the strike. The blade suddenly jumped downward, piercing armor weave, flesh, bone, and finally the foul heart of the despot. Robotnik's face widened in a look of abject shock and terror and he opened his mouth wide in a silent scream of denial. The hedgehog looked him dead in the eyes, never blinking. He wanted to remember this moment until the day that Death claimed him. Wanted to see the fear in his foe, wanted to smell it, taste it, feel it. Vainly, the overlord seemed to struggle against fate, staving off the Grim Reaper for some moments. However, as the seconds passed, the light began to fade from his eyes and a last, gurgling breath left his body.

He wasn't done yet, though. Robotnik's death alone would not satisfy him, not after everything that had happened. In a rage, he ripped his kaiburr sword out, and went to hacking at the body with his talons, ripping flesh and spattering blood everywhere. His only regret was that the dead man could not feel these wounds, could not feel pain anymore.

He heard a whimper of fear from behind him, and turning around, saw Snivley. He cursed himself a fool and thanked the Goddess that the little man seemed too paralyzed by his terror to do anything, as he'd had a pristine moment to fire of a shot or two from that pistol on his waist.

Turning, he dashed at the little man, determined to stop him from becoming a problem. Snivley's eyes went wide as he saw this avatar of Death come charging his way, and the signal for him to draw his weapon and shot back seemed to finally get through to the rest of him. Frantically, he tried to get his gun out, but fear made his hands shake, and he fumbled with the gun for a moment. By the time that he had managed to get the blaster pistol pointed in the right direction, Sonic was already on top of him. In a flash, the ARC trooper had reached up, snatched the pistol away from him and had it pointed at his right kneecap.

A shot rang out, followed by a squeal of pain. Then there was another one, and Snivley slumped to the ground, smoking holes in both of his legs.

Sonic looked down at him, saw the mingled pain and terror in the eyes of the small man. He moved the pistol up, centering it right between the eyes. The diminutive Overlander whimpered again, his pupils wide, silently pleading for the cyborg not to kill him. Some moments passed, but the gun did not fire. Slowly, the hedgehog smiled behind his shattered visor, and then placed the pistol down on the console, before moving forward and picking Snivley up by his collar.

"You-You're not going to kill me?" he dared to ask.

"No, needle nose, I'm not," the ARC replied with a shake of his head, before looking over at where Julian's corpse lay. "I'm going to set you down in that command chair, and you're going to sit tight while those tech bots fix me up."

"And then what?" his captive inquired, fear overflowing in his voice.

"Well, we'll see," Sonic returned. "If you behave, you might survive, if you give me trouble, I'll use your for a scratching post. Got it?" he asked, extending his claws, which were a literal hairsbreadth away from the skin of his enemy.

The little man nodded, and so the hedgehog carried him over to where the command chair was.

* * *

It was about two hours later when the tech bots had finally managed to finish their work, and he was once again at one hundred percent. He looked over to where Snivley was. The Overlander hadn't moved a muscle during the whole ordeal, and Sonic could hardly blame him. He'd been debating on what to do with the guy. Did he kill him, just end it like that? Or did he show mercy? For some time the ideas had floated about in his mind and he wondered what he should do. To say that he was torn would have been an understatement indeed. Did he stain his hands further? Did he send one more soul into the grim presence of Death? Or did he refuse to kill, did he risk letting Snivley go?

After a couple more minutes, he finally reached his decision. He rose from where he had been sitting, and placed his helmet back on his head. It hissed as it sealed itself to the rest of his armor, hiding his face behind that terrifyingly anonymous visor. He grabbed the pistol, and looked down at it, before looking back at Snively, who seemed ready to soil himself in terror.

He placed the weapon in his belt and walked up to the little man, before yanking him up out of the chair and bringing him over to the main computer.

"Deactivate all the security measures in the city. Swat Bots, cameras, everything, and tell the Worker Bots to stop what they're doing as well," he told him, his voice cold, devoid of emotion.

Snively made haste to obey, hoping that somehow, he might be able to get out of this alive. If Sonic didn't kill him, there was a chance, just a slim chance that he might be able to get everything working again, that he might rise from the ashes of this defeat. Furthermore, he need only look to the mangled body of his uncle and the massive pool of blood and gore around it to know what would happen if the hedgehog did decide to do him in.

"Done," he said in a shaky voice after a few minutes had passed.

"Good," Sonic replied, before shoving him to the floor and hovering over the keyboard.

Some of his flash training had included hacking enemy security systems. It was something that he had never had the patience for before now. But he was not the same Sonic he had been two months ago when he had gone out on that faithful mission. Julian and the little quivering pile of filth next to him had seen to that.

It took him about a minute to slice the system, not too bad, but he wished that Nicole had been there. She probably could have cracked it in a fraction of the time. He almost paused in his work to consider what had just passed through his mind. He actually missed hearing that computer and all of her scientific technobabble. It was enough to bring a bitter, twisted smile to his face.

He shook the thought from his head. That was a life that was no longer his, one he could not be a part of. He finished his work, effectively locking Snively out of all the main computer systems. Then he drew his blade and activated it, before bringing it down, slashing through metal and circuitry, sending sparks and arcs of electricity flying. He smashed it a few more times to make certain that nothing could be salvaged, and then he turned to the little man.

"I should kill you for all that you've done," he said, for once reveling in the fear that his altered voice could instill in a person. "I should make it slow and painful. Skin you alive, set your feet on fire, work my way up, something like that."

A whimper came from Snively.

"But I'm tired of killing, I've done enough of that over the past couple of days," he said in a bitter voice. "So let's find something out, Snively. I want to see if you can manage to drag yourself out of this city before Freedom Fighters start crawling all over it," he paused for a second, staring into the man's eyes. "They'll be coming soon, you know. They know what I did to them, and they know that Buttnik could have made more like me. They know he's weakened from the battle. They're going to launch an assault, all or nothing, going for broke, to make certain he can't. I'd hate to deprive them of the chance to get some vengeance."

"And what if I manage to get away?" asked.

"I honestly don't think that you will," Sonic replied. "But on the off chance that you do, I suggest that you keep a low profile. Because if you do start anything, anything at all, I will find out about it." He unsheathed his talons, before kneeling down and pressing them against the cheeks of the diminutive Overlander, drawing a faint line of blood. "And when I do, I will come for you, and those things I mentioned earlier, you remember them? I'll make those seem like a mercy, compared to what I will do to you if you try to fierfek Mobius up anymore. Got it?"

His words felt alien, coming from him like that. It was almost as if he wasn't the one saying them. He had to repress a shudder as the words echoed in his ears. It appeared as though, if only in the depths of his mind and his scarred soul, that Norrack would live on.

How he wanted to think of that thing as an alternate persona, some vile demon that had been brought forth by the neural chip. But he knew that it wasn't. Norrack and he were the same being. The neural chip had brought something forth, perhaps some genetic preprogramming or something, he didn't know, but it had been him doing all that. During the fights, the battles, the hunt, he had remained both detached and in the throes of an adrenaline rush. The chip had merely freed him of his memories, of his old loyalties.

As he turned to leave the little man where he lay shame washed over him, so much that he just wanted to go into a hole and hide forever. His friends, his comrades… the woman he loved. He'd pounced upon them like a predator, shorn limbs from bodies, blown gaping holes in peoples' chests. And all the while a part of him had reveled in it, had enjoyed it.

He choked back a sob as he dashed down the hallway, his speed as high as he could get with his mechanized limbs.

* * *

Snivley had escaped, been rescued by Shadow. He hadn't calculated that into the equation. Indeed, he had no idea that the other ARC was even alive, or had ever existed. It had been quite a shock to learn what that not only was he alive, but that he was planning on making his own bid for power soon… and he couldn't have done it without Snivley's aid.

He'd learned a very valuable and sobering lesson that day, when he'd first found them. Actually, he'd learned two lessons. The first was that Shadow was currently out of his league, scars on his body and a couple of replacement limbs had taught him that time and again. He'd kept trying though, that old stubborn streak surfacing in him again. The second, and possibly more important lesson, was just how badly mercy, if improperly timed in its administration, could bite you in the sheb.

He drifted again, thinking of a time before that knowledge had reached him. It was maybe two years after the battle of Knothole and about six months before he'd found out about Shadow. Two years. More than seven hundred days. He'd stayed hidden down here for so long he could no longer take it. The haunted dreams, faces, names, people he'd known and others he hadn't staring up at him as he'd prepared to deliver that final blow. They'd been driving him mad, sent the depths of his sanity crashing downward in guilt.

Finally, he'd decided to end it.

However, he'd wanted to say goodbye to everyone, just to see them one final time.

Mobotropolis hadn't quite been finished by that point in time, but it was nearly so, and the sight of it had stolen his breath away. It was more glamorous and beautiful than he had remembered, and he felt a longing, a desire to walk through it, to see its streets and the sectors that had been rebuilt. He'd wanted to frolic about in the gardens of the palace, as he had with Sal when they'd been kids.

He wanted his childhood back.

Alas, it was beyond reach, both by time and deed, and he'd spurred himself onward. The sooner he saw them, the sooner he could get this over with.

One by one, he'd dropped in, searched around the palace, found his old friends. Bunnie and Antoine had been in the same room, wrapped in each others arms in a way that tore at him, but still brought a smile to his face. A telltale ring on each finger told him most of what he needed to know, and as he focused a bit, he thought he could detect the presence of an additional bit of life in the room.

But the joy of the moment was stolen as he looked closer at them. Cybernetic arms intertwined with one another, while he could see the scar that ran along the coyote's face, the eye that was doubtless fake.

Tails had been even worse. He'd seen the scars, the wounds that he'd inflicted upon his little brother, the mangled skin and marred flesh. The memories had overcome him then, he'd remembered pinning him to the ground, ready to run him through. A wretched, broken sob had come from him, the sound silenced by his helmet.

His little bro, the young kit who'd all but worshiped him. The other half of him in a way, inseparable, a bond of kinship that nothing had been able to conquer.

He'd almost killed him. Had been ready to drive his talons through his heart, and only Sally's intervention had saved him. What would he think of him? What would he say? What condemnations would he heap upon his elder sibling if he knew the dark truth?

Silently, he turned, and left the room, unable to bear to look upon his little brother any longer.

Rotor and Uncle Chuck had been easier to see. He hadn't hurt them, and their wounds were not as obvious. In the case of Rotor he'd simply whished that he could have been there to help during the fight, rather than battling against them, trying to tear their hearts out. He also wondered what miraculous project the former Freedom Fighter might have been working. He'd whished him the best of luck on it, not that he'd need luck.

Uncle Chuck, though, he hadn't known what to think then. Robotnik had told him everything when he'd been trying to break him. He knew that his 'uncle' was the man responsible for his creation, and he knew what he was supposed to have been. Love and hate mixed together within him, memories of happy days of carefree smiles mixing with vague flashes of Stonehenge, of discussions he could no longer fully recall, but had a good idea what they pertained to. Did he forgive his father for what had happened, for what he had done in the name of the security of his people? Or did hate and bitterness overwhelm him, force him to despise the old man to the grave?

How many lives had he saved because he'd been created? How many people had he rescued from the grim fate of roboticization? How many had he then, as Norrack, turned around and killed? How many had fallen to his claws and his blade and his caster? Minutes had passed while he'd wondered about that, and finally, he decided to let go of the hate, he had enough sins riding on his shoulders without that one being added to the pile.

Finally, he'd reached Sally. She'd been easy to find, her room having a balcony and all. The doors had been open to allow the warm summer breeze to filter through and he'd silently stepped inside, gazing down at her.

She was every bit as beautiful as he remembered. The moonlight filtered across the room, gently bathing her in its silver glow. Her fur shinned brilliantly, and he longed to reach out and touch her, to hold her once again, as he had on that night so many years ago. He got down on one knee, and reached out, his fingers spread. He brushed her crimson locks, his movement slow and gentle. She muttered something intelligible in her sleep, and shifted about. He stiffened, fearing that he had awoken her.

She did not wake though, but moved over slightly, her right arm coming up and resting against her chest. He froze again, and a gasp, thankfully contained by his helmet, tore itself free from his throat. The limb shined silver in the light, and he could hear a faint, barely audible whirr as some of the fingers moved slightly.

Ever since he'd re-awoken, he had wondered how badly he had injured her in their battle. He had expected scars, visible marring upon her fur, but never something this extreme. He recoiled as if struck, yanking his hand back in a manner that might remind one of a werewolf's reaction to silver.

He had wounded her in a manner that would never be forgotten. He had raised his hands against her and everyone else that he loved and cared for.

He would burn for this, he knew it.

As he stood back up, he noticed something off on the other side of Sally's bed. It was a crib, and curiosity overwhelmed him. He walked over, and looked inside.

A child, probably not much more than a year old slept peacefully within it. He could see that it was indeed the princess' baby, probably a girl going by the hair length. Had she moved on then? Left his memory behind? That would be for the best, especially in light of what he planned later.

He never knew what it was that he did. He did not move, remained as still and silent as Death himself, and yet the child suddenly opened its eyes. Instantly, he braced himself for the inevitable wailing that would occur, and tried to figure out whether he would be able to hide in this room. Much to his surprise, though, the child didn't start bawling at the top of her lungs. It was only then that he noticed them, the eyes of the child.

They were a neon emerald green. His eyes… his old ones at any rate.

His breath caught in his throat again, and for a fleeting second he thought his heart would stop. This child… this girl… she was his.

He'd always wondered if he'd live long enough to be a father. Years ago, he'd dreamed of being one, of him and Sally settling down, having a family, children with his spirit and her determination. How ironic that now, at the end, when his life was shattered, his hopes for the future smashed beyond repair, that he should learn that one of his greatest dreams had come true.

It was almost too much for him. He wanted to break down, to scream to the world all of the hatred and loathing, towards the cruelties of Fate and the heavens and towards himself. He could feel his breath starting to catch and crack, feel his eyes starting to tear again, when he looked down at the baby girl once more.

She was staring at him. Not just in his direction, but right at him. She knew he was there. For a moment, he simply stood where he was, looking down upon the small being, staring into the innocence in her eyes. If she was his child, then maybe…

He closed his eyes, let his mind expand, let his consciousness flow outwards. He felt it then, the light that she gave off, compared to the darkness that lay within him. It was different from the one that Sally gave off, and deep within the child, he could feel it. It was there, small, raw and untrained, but there nonetheless. She would be as he was.

For what felt like ages, he had stood there, silently marveling at the miracle in front of him. He didn't know what to do; her being here… it changed everything. Could he go through with what he had planned? Should he reveal himself to the others? Could he? A thousand possibilities with a thousand outcomes whirled within his mind in those moments.

Then it happened. He felt a slight brush up inside of his head, felt the girl reaching out, as if she was trying to connect with him. He quickly closed his mind off. He had no idea how close one could connect with another like this, and he didn't want to run the risk of somehow tainting her. He had enough crimes as it was.

The girl seemed confused, and she reached a small hand up, vainly grasping around as she tried to figure out what was going on. Something came over the hedgehog then, and he reached out with his left hand, his index finger extended. She felt it, and wrapped a tiny fist around it. She giggled slightly, her green eyes shinning in a way that reminded him hauntingly of his own, as they had been before.

Slowly though, the cyborg withdrew away, leaving her confused, and he on the verge of breaking down. Still, within the depths of his battered soul, he had reached a decision. For her sake, and for the sake of her mother, he would remain upon this mortal coil. Snivley was still out there after all, somewhere, and if he or anyone else decided to strike, he would be better off to this world as something other than a corpse.

However, he would not come back out of the shadows. It would be better that way. Let the others think Sonic Hedgehog was dead, at peace, at rest in the blissful paradise of the Goddess' realm, rather than as this tortured and wretched shade that he had become. Things would be less complicated that way, and at least the girl would not have to hear an explanation as to why her father, the great hero of the war, and Norrack, one of the most nefarious mass murders in Mobian history, were in fact the same person.

* * *

That had been years ago, and since then, many things had changed. Young Saria had no idea how much she might have changed the world simply by being there that night. Had he ended his own life, there would be no one to try to oppose his brother, no one to try and beat back the coming storm.

Not that he was really bothering them that much as it was. He'd played his trump card already, and he didn't have the means of getting his hands on another thermo nuke. Besides, Gamma base was relatively undefended, nothing compared to what the security measures at the main base or other, larger ones were.

As he fell into an uneasy sleep, he wondered what the future held. He'd tried to see it, tried to probe it. As usual, he hadn't been able to make heads or tails of anything. It was like a tempest upon the ocean, stormy, chaotic. Anything could happen.

Little did he know that the gears of the enemy's war machine were already in motion; that the first strike had already been planned and was being executed even as he drifted into fitful sleep…

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Okay, hope everyone found that to their liking, and that no one is currently gouging out their eyes or trying to bludgeon themselves into a case of short term amnesia.

As usual, any and all feedback is welcomed, constructive criticism especially. Ideas for weapons (I'm trying to think of a couple of surprises for the Mark IX suit to have) and plot devices are also welcomed with open arms.

Many thanks to you all, and have a great day.


	3. Winter Wonderland

Hello again everyone, hope you've had a nice week. In a bit of a rush here, so I'll keep this short. Got midterms to study for (blarg!). Because of that, next update might be a little sporadic. Wish me luck though, I might need it.

At any rate, thanks once again to everyone whose read this story, and I hope you've found it to your liking. Those of you who have reviewed, my thanks as well, I hope that I can use your advice to improve myself. bows

Lawyers: Ya know the deal, I don't own any official characters, so shoo!

Here's chapter three, and hopefully the problems and stress with school haven't made it as bad as I think it is.

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Winter Wonderland

The little girl fidgeted back and forth in her seat, wondering how much longer it would to take for them to finally get to Knothole. This was one of her favorite times of the year, the week long break that they got a month prior to the yuletide holidays, and it happened to coincide with a break that Uncle Elias was taking. Now her family, along with Antoine, Bunnie, and Guy were all heading out towards the rebuilt forest village.

"If you do not stop squirming, Saria, you're going to wear a hole in your seat," her mother said as she looked over to her daughter.

"I know, mom, I know," the younger princess grumbled, crossing her arms and trying to keep her mind off of the boredom she had overwhelmed her. "Next time I'm bringing a book."

"Nicole's got some stuff I don't think you've looked over yet, if you are really that bored," her mother said, a slight smile on her face as she reached down and unclipped the small computer from her boot.

Saria practically squealed in delight as she grasped the AI. Nicole had gotten some upgrades over the years, and though she didn't look much different from nine years ago, she was now a much more capable computer. She took in information like a sponge, and Sally had been delighted to discover that she would spend hours at a time reading when it was too dark or wet for her to run around.

The grin that split her daughter's face was a priceless image. Sally was just happy her daughter been blessed to grow up during a peaceful time. When she had been that age, she'd been furiously memorizing battle plans and the history of warfare; had perused through whatever data information that had been available at what they would be going up against.

She managed to suppress a shudder at the thought of her daughter having to go through such a nightmare. Now, though, Robotnik was little more than a bad memory, and the Roboticizer a buried and forgotten monstrosity hidden somewhere in the depths of the castle; kept around just in case complications ever arose, for whatever reason, with the current derobotizations.

With any luck they would stay that way for a long, long time.

* * *

The transports hovered to a stop. The doors on the sides of them slowly opened to reveal a rebuilt Knothole village. A loud whoop could be heard, and a brown streak blasted out of one of the vehicles and across the snow covered landscape. Laughter could be heard from behind her as Sally stuck her head out of the door, and made her way down, a bag slung over her shoulder.

The elder princess looked around, and her azure eyes took the landscape. At first glance, one would never have been able to tell that this beautiful place had once been the home of the heart of the Mobian resistance. There were still subtle signs though, if one looked hard enough, despite the fact that the village had been restored to almost as it had been nearly a decade ago. The tree line that surrounded the village wasn't as dense at it had once been, as the battle had destroyed many of them. Pits and some impressions in the ground were also indications of where Jackhammer missiles had exploded, as well as some areas that bore the scars of blaster fire.

There was also a large shrine that had been constructed over where the cemetery stood. A simple block of black marble, it had the names of those who had fallen etched into its faces. It was a fitting way of honoring the dead, and it always served to remind what had happened here.

"It never will be quite the same place, Sally-girl," she heard Bunnie say as she walked up beside her. "But we can't stay stuck in the past forever."

"I know, Bunnie, I know," the ground squirrel said, sighing and moving off towards the hut that she would be staying in.

After much begging and pleading, Saria was finally going to have a chance to stay by herself. It had taken quite a while, weeks in fact, for the little girl to finally convince her mother that she was old enough to survive for a few days in this place without being around her twenty four seven.

Sally had finally decided that there really wasn't too much harm in it. She had always been like that with her daughter, and in a way, she feared that perhaps she had been slightly overbearing on her. It was something that she often thought about. Did she see Sonic manifesting himself just a little too much in Saria? Was she afraid that she would do something that would place her in danger, like the hedgehog had always had a knack for getting into? Of course, he'd had a knack for getting out of the same trouble, but that was beside the point.

She resisted the urge to cross her fingers and mutter a prayer as she saw her precious child go streaking by some hundred feet off, sending a flock of snow birds up into the air; indignant cries upon their tongues as they were forced up into the numbing chill.

The young princess just laughed in that innocent, childlike way that seemed a hybrid of herself and the man that she had loved. She couldn't help but smile as she saw the scene. Here, and all around, despite the somber memories that Knothole now brought, there was a scene of idyllic perfection, as if the Goddess herself had carved the snow banks and the icicles that hung from the trees.

Letting her breath out, watching the steamy cloud that formed and floated, Sally started towards her hut once again. Once she was unpacked, it would be time for her and Saria to make some snowmen and angels, just as they always did. From there, she didn't know where things would go, but she suspected it would start with her old man lobbing a slush ball at the nearest one of them.

Thus would begin their annual battle royal that they always held out in the meadow.

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She ducked underneath a snowball, laughed as the thing went sailing harmlessly overhead. Her retaliation was a little more accurate, however, and her father found himself blinded by a sudden white wash of powder.

"Got you!" Sally cried out, pointing a finger at the older Mobian.

King Maximilian made the tragic mistake of simply standing where he was for a few seconds, as if he was unable to believe that he had just been bulls-eyed by his daughter. The other combatants quickly took advantage of the motionless target, and several seconds later he had the beginnings of a nice snowman upon him. The former king went down in a heap soon after as the barrage became even heavier.

Sally found herself having to dodge to the side as Bunnie abruptly changed targets and threw a fast one at her, the ball more resembling a comet with a tail than your standard fare orb of snow. Not wishing to give her best friend another such shot, the princess quickly rolled one up and let fly. In response, the cybernetic rabbit merely raised an arm, and swatted the snowball harmlessly aside.

A loud, southern accented yelp came from her a moment later, though, and she twisted around to see Guy standing there, a silent smirk upon his face as he gently tossed another ball up and down in his left hand. His black eyes glittered in mischief as he stared at his mother.

"Why you backstabbing little devil!" she exclaimed, turning around and placing her hands upon her hips. "I outta…"

Whatever she had been about to threaten her son's treachery with would not be known, however, as she was once again hit from behind. She looked back, and saw Sally, whistling innocently and easily leaning backwards to dodge a shot from Elias. She shook her fist, before stooping down, forming, and firing off a ball that hit the ground squirrel dead in the chest, almost knocking her from her feet with the impact. She then turned around and repaid her son in kind.

The boy went down with a yelp, and laughter came from his mother. Off to one side, Antoine let out a gasp of surprise as he was belted from behind by Saria, who sped off before he could mount any form of retribution. The eight year old girl clearly held and edge over all the competition here, one reason why she won so often.

They had been at this for several hours now, carrying on, laughing, and forgetting about the outside world or any of the troubles that were usually associated with it. Little did they know, though, that their activities were being watched by an individual that was longing to join them in their merrymaking.

He sat up in the trees, hunched down with one hand gripping a large branch. All but invisible, the ARC watched them milling about.

The laughter of his daughter split the air again, and a small pain tore at his heart. How he wished he could be there, be a part of this world that was both a mere stone's throw away and at the same time across a gulf so wide he could not hope to cross. Concentrating, he zoomed in, focusing on Sally and Saria. The two of them had formed into something of a team. The elder princess had started making snowballs and then tossing them to the younger, who would in turn zip about, searching for the best possible angle of attack against their enemies. Once she found it, then she'd pelt them upside the head before rushing back to her mother, who would have another ball of slush ready and waiting.

Ever year for four years he had come out here and watched them at this. Ever since he'd learned that they came here for a week or so. In a time where it seemed as if darkness was assailing him from all directions as well as from within, this gave him the strength to keep going. For a Mobian who had lost any shred of his innocence in a fateful explosion nine years ago, the sight of that innocence renewing itself in his daughter, his child, gave him the determination that he needed to keep on fighting from the shadows.

How ironic, in a way, that he should be using his brother's namesake to strike out against him, he suddenly thought.

His mind drifted to the latest raid that he had conducted. It had only been a partial success. They'd had reinforcements much closer than he'd anticipated, and he'd only been able to get about half of the stuff loaded up before they'd come screaming in. They were taking him more seriously now, he knew that much. Ever since he'd blown Gamma base off of the face of the planet, they'd stopped trying to take him alive and were now just trying to kill him. Apparently, the days of his sibling hoping to convert him to their cause were over and done with.

So much the better, as far as he was concerned. He wasn't exactly eager to reengage his twin, though. He wasn't a match for Shadow, crippled as he was, not in straight up combat at any rate. He'd have to find some manner of outfoxing him. That would be difficult to do. Shadow wasn't the kind of person you could easily catch off guard, and one shot was all that you got in the event that such a miracle took place.

They were going to do something soon, he knew it. They'd been moving men and supplies around like crazy these past few months. Things were going to come to a head soon, there could be no doubt about that. The question, though, was what he was up to. Every chance he got, he hacked a computer console or tried to penetrate Snivley's network. It had all turned up dry. They were waiting for something, something specific. But what exactly he could not figure out. It had him worried. You never wanted to be blind with your intel, particularly with something as dangerous as Shadow on the other end.

Another echo of laughter drew his attention back to the snowball fight. It appeared as though everyone was wrapping things up. He wasn't certain who the winner had been, as everyone looked to be thoroughly covered in white powder. Once again, he longed to go down there and join them, to throw of the shackles of his self imposed exile. He couldn't though… he couldn't go back, not after everything he had done, both before and after.

He glanced about. The sun had stared to set, and soon night would be upon this place, the moon turning the white snow silver in its pale light. He'd make his move then, once everyone was asleep.

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The hut was small and somewhat spartanly adorned except for the furniture, an attempt to recreate the somewhat homely and rustic atmosphere that Knothole had always had. A fire crackled in the hearth of the hut. Sitting in a somewhat oversized armchair in front of it, Saria had a smile upon her face. In her hands was a mug of hot chocolate, and a comforter was draped around her shoulders. Today had been wonderful, perfect even. Now, however, she could feel the longing of sleep pulling at her, the slight drowsiness trying to tug her down into its grasp.

She staved it off for a few moments, her thoughts adrift. She was only a few dozen meters away from her father had resided when he'd been here during the war. Perhaps it was the proximity, or something else about this environment that triggered it, but she was overcome with the desire to know more about him. She wished that she could have spoken with him, face to face, even just once.

She sighed, knowing it was something that would never happen. Taking a sip from her mug, Saria stood up, and walked over to the window of the hut. The moon was full, and it cast its argent light upon the landscape, transforming it into an artist's dream. A gentle snowfall had started, and tomorrow promised to have a whole new set of banks for her to play around with.

The young ground squirrel had started to turn back when she suddenly stopped and looked through the window again.

For a second she could have sworn…

There! She saw something move. Squinting, she tried to see what it was, and found that she could not, despite the bright light afforded her by both moon and snow. She saw a blurred and distorted outline that was headed for the cemetery. Confused, she stared at it, wondering what it could possibly be.

The strange blur reached the cemetery, and seemed to halt in front of the large memorial to those that had fallen here those years ago. She couldn't' really see what happened after that, as it seemed to disappear entirely.

She continued to stare at the area where the bizarre shadow had been, her green eyes squinted nearly shut as she tried to get a better look at it, to see what it might be. Was it a Mobian? If that was the case, why was it sneaking around like this, moving in like some shade or other mythical creature of the night? Her mind entertained the thought of it being some manner of ghost or something, but she quickly dismissed that as being the product of an overactive imagination. What was going on here? What could it be?

For more than three minutes, she watched the area in front of the memorial, trying in vain to regain sight of the strange entity that had suddenly come upon the tiny village.

She stiffened again, her fur going on edge as she saw a faint distortion once more. The thing turned slightly, or at least she assumed it did, as she suddenly had the strange, almost otherworldly sensation that it was staring right at her. A bit of fright welled up inside of her, something that she suppressed though. She was her mother's daughter, and she would not show fear in the face of the unknown.

Then it bolted, streaking off away from the graveyard with speed that surprised her. It was nothing that she couldn't match, but she'd never heard of another creature on the face of this world that could have even come close to that speed except for…

Except for an ARC trooper.

Saria suddenly found herself paralyzed, wondering what it was that she should do. Should she wait for morning, tell her mother and the others what she had seen? No, bad idea, they'd probably just say it was a figment of her imagination or something like that. Plus, the snowfall would erase any evidence that it had been here, so she couldn't claim that either.

Saria placed a finger to her chin and rubbed it, trying to think of what was the best course of action. It only took her seconds to reach her decision. She dashed over to the closet, and drew out her boots and the heaviest parka she could find, a crimson one with a hood. Quickly donning the cold weather clothing and a pair of matching boots, she took another look out of the window, just to make certain that no was watching, and then was out the door in a flash.

She'd find out about this for herself. Ignorance killed the cat after all.

She took a quick look around to double check that no one had seen her. Then she took off after the strange blur.

Following its path towards the woods was fairly easy, as it left some rather obvious footprints in the snow. It was heavy, whatever it was. It was also a quite a bit taller than the average Mobian, if the length of the stride was any indication.

Saria felt a bit of fear try to rise again, as she thought about Norrack. He'd been the only ARC trooper ever created that she knew of, but he was dead. Who could this have been, if that was the case? What if it turned out to be unfriendly? Antoine, Bunnie, and her mother were all the proof needed of what the cyborg had been capable of doing to another Mobian.

She shook her head as she followed the tracks. It couldn't be him, and even if this thing wasn't nice, she knew that she could outrun it. There was nothing in this world that could keep up with her when she decided to 'turn on the afterburners' as her mother had put it.

The princess paused at the edge of the woods, staring down at the tracks. They disappeared with the tree line, as if whatever had made them had just vanished into thin air. That was impossible, though, and she knew it. There had to be something that she'd missed, something that she hadn't noticed yet. A frown upon her face, Saria moved into the forest, her eyes constantly scanning about, looking around for the strange blur that she knew was here, and ready to bolt back towards Knothole the very instant that things decided they wanted to turn ugly.

Her quarry watched her from above the entire time.

Sonic stared down at the young ground squirrel. He watched as she moved about and tried to figure out where he had disappeared to. All the while he scolded himself on his carelessness. He hadn't anticipated someone spotting him while he made his little pilgrimage to the shrine. He'd been coming there once a year since he had learned of its existence, every time praying and asking his victims for forgiveness. He wasn't certain if he ever would be, but he had to try.

He leaped forward about thirty feet, coming down on another stout branch. So precise was his jump, and the subsequent landing, that he didn't even disturb the snow that on it. The hedgehog jumped again right after that, crossing over above Saria's head and coming down on the other side of her path, wrapping his arms around the trunk of the tree to hold himself in place. He looked down again, keeping a watchful eye upon his daughter.

It was a rather awkward position that he found himself in. She was going further and further away from Knothole and the safety that it offered. Out here, at this time of night and this time of the year, there were too many things that could go wrong, too many things that she obviously hadn't planned on. He couldn't just drop down and try make her go back; such an appearance would likely just terrify her anyway. Nor could he allow himself to be discovered. He knew that she was no danger to him, but if word of his continued existence were to somehow leak out, then things could get dicey in a hurry.

With any luck she'd lose interest eventually, probably decide that he'd just been some natural phenomena or illusion presented by a mind that was slightly fatigue after a long day of having fun. However, she was his daughter, and there was a distinct possibility that she might be out here for a while as a result. He'd always had a bit of a stubborn streak in himself.

For a full twenty minutes, she traveled deeper and deeper into the Great Forest. The pines grew to great heights now, and combined with the cloud cover they blocked out most of the light from the moon. He could see her start to shiver, and realized that she was starting to feel the bite of the cold through her parka. She'd probably get sick if she stayed out here much longer. It was time to lead her back.

He'd just decided to drop back down and start a trail of clues that would go back towards the forest village when he realized something. He doubted himself for a moment, and then switched his viewing mode to heat. His eyes went wide behind the helmet and an unheard curse left his mouth.

Saria, in her desperation to find him, had stepped out onto a very deceptive bit of snow. It covered one of the rivers that wound their way through the forest, and she was standing right on top of it.

Few people realized that snow was something of an insulator, and when a patch of it covered up ice for a sufficient period of time, particularly if there was flowing water beneath it, it made the ice weak.

The young ground squirrel took one more step; then both she and the ARC trooper heard it. A telltale crack resounded through the air, like a shot from a rifle. Saria had enough time for a scream of surprise; then she was gone, ripped underneath the surface by the swift current.

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Okay, cutting it off there. Yes… I'm evil, we established that fact some ago.

As usual, hope you liked it, and any forms of feedback are welcomed, and I hope this wasn't as bad as I thought it was.

Many thanks to you all, and have a great day.


	4. A Friendship Forged

(walks out, looking ragged)

My apologies on the delay people, school has been hectic to say the least, what with midterms and presentation projects (one of which may very well be me doing a three man job by myself, as I was never able to get ahold of my teammates) have cut in on this thing, as well as a far bit of writers block about how to take this one along. Cyrex was a big help, so give him all a hand, he's more than earned it.

As always I extend my thanks to you all for taking the time to read this little tale. For those of you who have reviewed, I hope that I've answered your responses adequately.

I also want to apologize if this one comes across as sub par, I had a bit of a time trying to figure out how to make the last scene unfold. Feel free to hurt me if you don't like it.

Lawyers: Ya knows da drill, I don't own a thing, so stop calling me!

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A Friendship Forged

Sonic's reaction was instantaneous, instinctive, the will and actions of a father. He braced his cybernetic limbs against the trunk of the tree he was in and vaulted out over the river. He streaked towards the ice, balling himself up as he plummeted earthward. He felt his suit's gel layer start to pressurize, the familiar pinpricks of pain as it enveloped and protected him.

The ARC's blurred form hit the ice like an armored missile. The impact shattered it like glass and sent fragments dozens of feet in all directions. He uncoiled and began scanning about, desperately trying to find his little girl.

She was maybe a hundred feet ahead of him; a bright, heat filled outline against the freezing water. She thrashed about in a desperate attempt to get herself above that layer of ice, but in the swift moving current, she could find no purchase. Not that she would have been able to bust out in all likelihood anyway. He had to hurry, he knew it. She wouldn't last long; the water was more than thirty degrees below zero. She had perhaps seconds left before the biting chill paralyzed her muscles and her air supply ran out.

That same manner of desperation fueled the cyborg along, and he swam with all of his might to catch up to her. He thrust his hands forward and shoved the water back, rocketing himself towards the flailing child as quickly as he possibly could. Fear filled him, panic even, and he desperately tried to stay focused, tried to keep his sight on Saria. Still, she was lighter than him, carried along by the current far more swiftly than he was.

It was a struggle, he closed the distance slowly. Still, he was gaining on her. Had to keep going, faster, faster, he willed himself to move. Saria's heat signature was cooling rapidly, and he could see air bubbles leaving her.

"Come _on_!" he shouted to himself, forcing his arms and legs to move.

Saria seemed to find a handhold or something in the ice, and she got caught up for a moment. For a second or two, she clutched at it with all of her failing strength, as if it were a lifeline. In her weakened state, she couldn't managed it, though, and all too quickly she found herself slipping away again.

A desperate survival instinct kicked in, a surge of adrenaline that caused her to regain her grip. Her mind approached a state of near panic then. There was air not more than three inches away from her right now, and she couldn't reach it.

Something happened, something she didn't understand. Within the back of her head, she felt a prickling, tingling sensation. She attributed it to the lack of oxygen, and knew she had to get up.

Then a crack formed in the ice.

It started out small, and then rapidly grew to in size. She felt something around her, and within herself. Something was building up, screaming to get out. Confusion and fear filled her, and she didn't know what to do. Then she felt whatever it was escape.

Something moved through the water like a pulse, and the barrier above her head shattered. Instinct tried to kick in, tried to get her to move up above the water, but whatever had just happened had drained the last of her strength, and now her muscles refused to obey. She started to be swept along again, and the panic and fear renewed itself.

And then she was up above the river.

She coughed up some water, and took a deep, gulping breath. She needed air, and she needed it now. The young princess could have cared less about the fact that she was numb, that ice was already starting to form on her fur, she just wanted more of the life giving oxygen the surface provided. She could also have cared less at the moment as to how her body was supporting itself. Slowly, though, she became aware of a strange, distorted blur that seemed to be partially enveloping her.

Sonic activated his caster and shot out a trail along the ice, before maneuvering towards a shallower section of the river. Once he could stand, he yanked his daughter up out of the water. He was up on land in a flash, looking around, trying to find a tree that would suffice. He could feel the girl in his arms; she was cold, icy now, and worst of all she wasn't even shivering. Her body was so frozen and shocked that it couldn't muster up the energy for it.

Her life was still in danger, and she had at most minutes before she was gone.

He set Saria down on the snow, and then ripped off her parka and boots. They were sodden and useless right now, would only hamper her situation by keeping the water nearer to her.

She was looking up at him, like she had on that night, those years back, when he had stolen into the room that she had shared with Sally. A thought of blinding rage filled him at that moment.

He had been responsible for this. She'd come out here looking for him, and now she was fighting for her life. Rage became determination. He had killed hundreds, thousands, but he would be damned if he was responsible for the death of his own daughter.

He unconsciously decloaked in an attempt to reassure her, to at least let her know that she wasn't hallucinating, that she wasn't alone. Then he stood, and looked around. He spotted a pine tree near them that would suffice. He dashed towards it, yanking his twin kaiburr swords out of their holsters and igniting them both. He jumped up, and swung the blades about as he ascended. Branches and limbs cracked and fell away as the energy blades severed them from the trunk, and they crashed to the ground, sending snow and ice scattering around.

He landed and sheathed the weapons in a single movement, and then grabbed up the branches. He drug them over to where Saria lay, and he saw her eyes again, the pupils dilated, her arms crossed across her chest and her legs pulled up. She'd used the last ounce of her strength to get into a fetal position, a last, frantic bid by her body to preserve the heat that it had left in it.

He got a few feet away from her and turned to face the branches. He felt down within himself, tried to find his center, tried to find that inner calm that he needed for the next bit. His panic wasn't helping though, and what he sought kept eluding him. A growl came from his gritted teeth and his eyes narrowed dangerously. She was dying, because he couldn't come through.

Perhaps it was that bit of cold, harsh logic that finally got Sonic's mind to accept the situation, or perhaps in this case his rage aided him, but he felt it, and he reached out and grabbed hold of it. Once ensnared, he called upon it, will it to come forward. He almost did it too quickly, and forced it back to a more manageable level. Control, control, he needed control. The ARC trooper breathed out, a deep breath, like one would expect from a person in the middle of a meditation. He brought both hands forward, and turned his palms towards the pile of branches, and willed it to come forth.

A wave of heat washed over the pine, and it burst into flames.

They were rather intense, more so than he'd initially planned, and his shields actually started to flicker from the bluish fire that sprang up in the first couple of seconds. It quickly faded to a more manageable orange though. He then turned about, and headed over to Saria. He scooped her up into his arms, being careful not to injure her, and then sat down in front the flames. He had to be careful, if he warmed her up too quickly, it could be just as hazardous as letting her freeze.

He started breaking the ice off of her fur, trying to get her dry as best he could, while gradually shifting closer to the burning flames. She had started to shiver though, that would certainly help. Not knowing what else to do, aside from perhaps praying, he began to gently rock Saria back and forth in his arms.

The ARC trooper could hear her teeth chatter, and he looked back down at her, staring at her up close for the first time years. He looked into her eyes, into his old eyes, stared down into her face, and silently begged for her forgiveness. The young princess seemed to be trying to burrow up against him and the warmth he provided at the moment, and he clutched her protectively.

How might things have been different were he not stuck as he was at the moment, trapped by his past in this suit of armor. He might have been able to do this as a father, rather than as some anonymous savior. On the other hand, his current curse had enabled him to throw a few monkey wrenches in his brother's plan.

Perhaps that was how he was supposed to redeem himself. If he kept trying, maybe, just maybe, he might be able to stop the war that was coming.

He looked down at Saria, and shook her gently to keep her awake. He would not let that happen. He would not allow a war to ravage her youth as it had his.

That he swore.

* * *

He wasn't sure how long it had been before she stopped shivering again. This time, though, he wasn't worried about it. She was dry, and the armor plates of his suit had gradually warmed up to the point where her condition, while not exactly comfortable, was at least stabilized.

She had started to drift off her eyelids fluttering and her head drooping. He reached down into his utility belt, and drew out the med pack that he kept inside of it. Pulling out a bacta syringe, he gave her an injection, just to make certain that no permanent harm had been done. The young princess gave a yelp of surprise. She looked over to him, not understanding. It happened before he could stop himself.

"Just to make certain that you're okay," he said.

She looked up at him, confused and surprised that he had spoken. The hedgehog winced momentarily. His voice was harsh, the alteration that Robotnik had caused and years of constant fighting gave it an edge that he'd never really been able to get rid of. In an attempt to distract himself, he stood, and walked over to where Saria's parka and boots were. He'd moved them closer to the fire some time ago, and they had dried out now. He placed them back on her, and then turned in the direction that Knothole was.

He raced off a second later, his daughter held protectively against his chest, as he had carried her mother so many times.

* * *

Sonic arrived back at the edge of the forest within minutes, and stopped at the tree line. He switched his viewing mode over to thermal again. No one was about, a good thing, as cloaking wouldn't work with his daughter held in his arms like this. He looked down at her. She had been silent throughout the trip, and now appeared as if she had fallen asleep. That was good to; it would save him from having to answer awkward questions.

He headed off towards the hut that she had been in, a constant eye searching about, just in case he might have missed something. What he was doing now, combined with his reputation, could be disastrous if he was spotted. He encountered no one though, and when he reached it, gently pushed the door of the hut open.

The hut was dark, the fire in the hearth having gone out some time ago. But to someone with eyes such as him, the darkness proved to be no barrier. The dwelling's adornments were similar to the ones that he had lived in those years ago, and a wave of nostalgia washed over him. Memories of Tails and him playing soccer, of times when he'd just run for the sake of running, and of playful banter between him and Sally.

The ARC trooper shook his head and cleared those thoughts from his mind. He returned his attention to the little girl that was in his arms. Peace filled her now, and one would probably not have been able to tell that a couple of hours ago she'd been in danger of slipping from this mortal coil.

Sonic moved over towards the bed, where he paused to shift his grip upon Saria. Holding her with one arm, he reached down and drew back the violet covers that were on it. He took off her cold weather gear, and then laid her down in the bed, slowly drawing the covers back up over her body. He thought he saw a faint smile tug against the side of her face as she curled up. He felt a tugging at his heartstrings. He hesitated slightly at first, and then he reached up and placed two fingers against he part of his helmet that was in front of his mouth.

He knelt down next to the young ground squirrel, and then he reached out, and gently placed them upon her forehead, just above her left temple.

"Goodnight, Saria," he said, his voice cracking slightly.

With that the cyborg rose and turned away from her. He paused long enough to rebuild the fire and get it going again, and then he headed back out into the winter chilled landscape. As he crossed the threshold of her door, he faded into a blur, leaving what little bit of a father he was behind, and returning once more to the iron hard soldier and guardian.

* * *

She had awoken a little after nine o'clock the next day, and had been quite surprised to find that she'd been in her own bed. For a brief instant, she'd wondered if it had all been some sort of bizarre dream. Her common sense questioned all the strange things that she could recall. However, something had kept her from dismissing it as such. It felt too real. She could feel the killing chill of the water, feel the heat of the flames that her savior had made for her.

Her savior… had it been Him? Had that been Norrack? He didn't look like the pictures in her schoolbooks. Similar, but not the same. If it was him, why had he saved her? He was supposed to be a ruthless, cold hearted killing machine that knew only how to destroy. And what if it wasn't him, she had to wonder. Who was it then? She had little doubt that it had been an ARC trooper, the speed with which he'd moved and the armor pointed to nothing else that it could be. Who else could have been transformed into one of those monstrosities?

It was those thoughts that had haunted her all throughout the day, not even running around the borders of the village at top speed had been able to shake it from her mind. She had reached a decision then. She'd decided that she'd go out again that night, that she'd try to find him once more. She'd just have to make a note to avoid going out on rivers.

* * *

Saria made her move a few hours after the sun had set over the village, and she was certain that everyone else was down for the night. Once more donning her warmest clothes, she'd struck out of the village again, heading off in the direction that she had last night.

She didn't know whether she would find him or not but she knew that she had to try, if for no other reason than to thank him for saving her life.

However, her zeal to satisfy her curiosity was somewhat sated this night, for she kept close to the trails that ran in-between the trees. She had no desire to repeat what had happened previously.

Saria had her memories of the previous night to guide her, and before long, she had reached the spot where it had happened. There was an area of the ground where charred and ashen logs sat, an ember or two still glowing faintly upon them. That was the proof that she'd needed to finally silence the small bits of doubt that she had felt earlier. It had happened, that ARC trooper had saved her life.

Now she simply had to find him. She hadn't a clue about where to start, but the area around here seemed as good a place as any.

However, he search would prove to be easier than she thought.

He watched from above again. She definitely had his stubborn streak. He's suspected that she might come out here again, so he'd staked the area out, making certain that she didn't get into trouble. At least, that had been his initial plan. However, as he looked down upon her now, stared into her fiercely glowing emerald eyes, he felt a change come over him.

For nine years he'd suffered in solitude, with only the screams of the dying and the taunts of his brother to keep him company. He wanted something else, something more. He just wanted… no, he needed to talk, to share his life with someone.

"You're a slow learner, aren't you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Saria's gaze snapped up to where he was. She couldn't' really see him, the sky was overcast and shadows abounded, but she knew he was there. Slowly, the active camouflage faded into nothingness. She was about twenty feet below him and close enough that a single leap could have taken him to her without any difficulty and all.

"You," she said, continuing to gaze up at him.

"Yes," he said, and nodded his head as he rose up to his full height.

There was a moment of silence between them, and behind his helmet, Sonic frowned. He wanted so badly to strike up a conversation with the young princess, with his own flesh and blood, but he had no idea how to begin.

"What are you doing out here again?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Looking for you," she said, "I wanted to thank you, for, you know, saving my life." She suddenly thrust her hands into her pockets and stared at the toes of her boots.

"You're welcome," he said, and then leapt down to the ground.

The snow crunched underneath him as he drew nearer to her. She took a look up at him, and he was grateful that his size did not intimidate her. He towered over most Mobians now, especially when he was wearing his armor, and it could prove to be a major deterrent in his attempts to get closer to her. However, the other option was removing the armor entirely, and he was quite certain that would create even more awkwardness.

"Are you Norrack?" she asked, her voice quiet as she her eyes met his black visor.

He'd known the question was inevitable, that it would get asked at some point, and that he would have to answer. It still caught him off guard, though, and he paused, his mouth partially open, a thousand thoughts whirling through his mind as he'd thought of how to answer her question. Finally, he settled upon the truth.

"Yes," he said, his hopes crumbling as he expected her to bolt at any moment.

To his surprise, she did not. She merely cocked her head back and forth. Then he felt a brush inside of his mind. He was surprised for a moment. She was unconsciously reaching out, trying to see the real him. He quickly raised his mental defenses, shutting the door. He could not let her find out who he had once been. Let her think that her father had been a good man. That he had been a hero, not a murderer. Moments passed, and he held his breath, waiting for her to make the next move in this odd little meeting that they were having.

Finally, she spoke.

"You're different than Aunt Bunnie and Uncle Antoine have said," she remarked, placing a finger underneath her chin and tapping it several times. "Did you really…"

"Yes," he said again. He would not deny his crimes, not lie about it to his own daughter. "Everything you've heard about me, everything, is true."

"Then why did you save me?" she asked.

He admired her courage. She was talking to a killing machine that was capable of cutting her down in the time it took her to draw another breath, and still she stood her ground. Just like her mother.

"Because I'm not who I used to be," he answered. It was an ironic double truth. "You're mother freed me."

"So you _were_ being controlled," she said, more to herself than to him.

"Pardon?" he asked.

"Mother always said that you were to be pitied more than hated. She never liked how the history books said you were a monster." Was the answer he got.

"I see," he said, and he suddenly stared down at the ground, the sight of a prosthetic arm returning to haunt him. "Your mother was always that way. She could see the best in things."

He blurted it out before he could catch himself. He saw the confusion upon her face, and he scrambled to cover himself.

"How…?"

"I was given detailed information on each of my targets," he said, the best he could come up with on that kind of notice. "She was believed to be the second greatest threat that I would face, and Robotnik wanted to make certain that anything that I could use against her was known."

"Then did you…" Saria began, before pausing.

"Yes?" he prompted.

"Did you know about my father?" the young princess asked, her tone one of a faint bit of hope.

His mind stopped for a second, and he looked down at her. Of all that she could have asked him, this was the last thing that he would have expected. Thirty seconds passed, before he finally answered her question.

"I did," the ARC trooper said. "Robotnik thought he would be the primary target I would contend with. He wanted me to be prepared for anything, to take any advantage I could get. I would have needed it, I believe."

"What was he like?" she asked.

"He died before I completely came into being," he told her. "He was a soldier though, a man who lived by the sword and who died by it."

"Wha?" she asked, not understanding him.

"He was a warrior, and he died a warrior's death," the cyborg said. "He was a man who loved to laugh, and enjoy what life he could… and he cared deeply for those around him. It's a shame, really. If he had still been alive, I don't think I would have been the menace that I was."

She could feel the pain in his words, both physically, and for a moment, she felt a slight twinge in her head, like it was pain on another level. She wasn't quite certain what to do next, but the little girl suddenly felt just how alone he was. It touched her in a way, and with the innocence that only youth could possess, but one that was tempered by a strange wisdom, she asked another question.

"You sound like you need a friend," she said.

He took a visible step backwards, having certainly not expected this. He had saved her life last night, but still, this all seemed a little abrupt for him. She extended a hand, though, and he could feel that she was sincere. She wanted to help him.

At one point in time, probably even a few weeks ago, he would have turned around and fled back to Stonehenge. However, though he was sorely tempted to do so, he felt a small voice inside of his head that urged against that choice. How much longer could he go on like he was? How much longer before the weight and the guilt and the memories of all the death he'd caused brought his mind to the breaking point once more? And what of Saria herself? Didn't she deserve something from him? He had never been there as a father for her, growing up. Was this a chance for him to in a way make up for that?

After what seemed an eternity, he took her hand in his own, and gently shook it.

The handshake sealed a pact, then. He gained one would become the first of many steps back into life.

"So, you want to play a game?" she asked, and he gave her a look that could only have been described as quizzical.

"What do you mean?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Friends play games with each other, don't they?" she said with a laugh.

"What did you have in mind?" the ARC trooper asked and he cocked his head slightly.

"Weeelllll," she said as she rocked back and stared up at the sky.

She shot up at him, slapped the side of his arm in a playful manner, and then took off.

"You're it!" she shouted as she disappeared.

For a moment, Sonic stood where he was, unable to move. His jaw was slack behind his helmet, his eyes bugged out as he realized what had just happened. Blinking a couple of times, the reality finally settled on him. Something changed then. Upon his face, where a frown or scowl had so often been of late, a faint twitch occurred, which became a lopsided, crooked grin that had not been seen there in years.

"Hey!" he said with a laugh. "No fair!"

He was off after her as fast as he could make himself move. For once, the thoughts of his cyborg limbs slowing him down did not bother him.

* * *

It was the final night now, her day at Knothole before they returned to Mobotropolis. Saria had been agitated by this for the past couple of days. She knew that Norrack would not follow her back and it saddened her greatly.

She'd spent a good portion of these past few days heading out into the woods, running around with him. He was the only person she'd ever met who could even come close to keeping up with her, though she could easily outdistance him if she wanted to.

There was something about him though, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. He was more than what he seemed, she just knew it. She had no idea what to make of it, it was just one of those gut feelings of hers.

The young princess opened the door of her hut, and headed out across the village once more.

However, in her eagerness to go play with her friend, Saria neglected caution.

In a hut some twenty meters distant, Bunnie had stayed up a little later than usual, wishing to get some reading done on a book that she had found most enjoyable. She had gotten up to stretch and happened to look out the window. She saw the movement, saw the young princess trotting across the snow banks. Cocking an eyebrow, she moved over closer to it, and peered outside, wondering what in then name of the Eternal Serpent she was doing. The rabbit squinted, her eyes narrowed as she saw the girl approach the edge of the woods.

She saw something move, a blur, hidden by shadow and darkness. Still, it was enough for her to see something…

The book fell from her hand, and it thumped against the wooden floor. Her breath caught in her chest, and she instinctively reached for her mechanical arm. As she watched Saria disappear into the forest, she scrambled for the closet, yanking out what she needed. She was out the door a second later in such a rush that she never thought to wake Antoine.

* * *

Barely visible to the naked eye, he leaped out. He grabbed a branch and let his momentum carrying him upwards. At the vertex of his rotation he let go, allowing himself to fly upwards and grab the one that was above him. There was a slight creaking noise, but little other than that that would have betrayed his presence.

"No fair!" he heard his daughter call from somewhere down below.

"You have speed, I have stealth." he chided back, his tone lighthearted, teasing.

He rushed forward and jumped again. He crossed over above her head and then looked down at her. Would she hear the slight groaning of the branch as he came down? Would she guess where he might go based off where his voice had last come from.

The young princess cocked her head to one side down below, and looked up to the massive oak tree that was next to her. Oh, he was around here somewhere, she knew that. Well, she thought to herself, only one way to know for sure. She exhaled, a smile coming to her face, and then shot forward. She overcame gravity's pull with ease, rushing up the side of the tree, her lightning quick reflexes letting her dodge around the branches.

She moved up closer to the top. Norrack had to be close by. How much did that armor weigh? He couldn't have been too high up off of the ground.

Saria saw him just as she was about to blur past. He leapt out and away from her, his cybernetic legs allowing him to jump past a point that should have been possible, even for the most athletic and skilled Mobian. She almost caught him as he did, but her hand past a hairsbreadth away, and failed to touch him.

"Close, but that only counts in horseshoes!" the cloaked soldier shouted gaily.

He came down on a large cedar branch and turn about only to find her streaking towards the ground. She hit it, leveled off, and started running up his tree. He jumped away again, another tree becoming his perch.

Again she tried to follow, and again he cunningly was able to keep just out of reach. She was growing quite frustrated with this turn of events. She was faster, blast it all, she should have been able to catch him.

"Start using your head!" she heard him shout down to her, and his voice sounded like it came from everywhere at once. "I've been brought up on how to deal with guys with speed like yours, try something new."

Snarling, the ground squirrel tried to think of a solution. How was she supposed to find him? She could hardly see him, and now she'd lost him. Should she just run around randomly, try to fool him with a pattern that he couldn't follow? She closed her eyes, frowning, trying to figure out what it was that she was supposed to do. Then it hit her, she closed her eyes, and reached down, grabbing a bit of snow and rolling it up into a ball. Smirking, she listened carefully, listened for that one key sound that would tell her where her friend was hiding.

She heard a slight crack off to her right, and snapped out with the ball. She opened her eyes to watch its flight. It hit against the trunk of a pine tree, about twenty feet off of the ground. The ball scattered, but some of the snow just seemed to become invisible.

"Got you!" she exclaimed and tore up after him.

This time he made no attempt to flee. Behind his helmet, a smile split his face from ear to ear. Oh, she was clever alright, definitely took after her mother there. He hopped down from the branch that he was on and landed with a grunt. His cloaking faded as he reached up and brushed off the bits of snow that dotted his armor.

"Smart, very smart," the ARC trooper said, kneeling down to where he looked his daughter in the eyes. "I suppose you hear that a lot though, don't you?"

She nodded, a smile upon her face. A frown quickly replaced it, though.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concerned.

"We leave tomorrow, Norrack. When will I get to see you again?" the young princess asked.

He paused for a moment, half startled. He knew that she was leaving, but he'd still… Well, maybe it was for the best. He didn't want to give up hope just yet though.

"Maybe I'll drop in from time to time, you never quite…"

He never finished his sentence. He threw his hand out, and Saria suddenly found herself flying backwards and into a deep snow bank. Her mind whirled in confusion as she saw Norrack twist around and reach over his shoulder. A curved beam of blue white energy sprang to life just and he twisted about, facing a dense section of the woods.

The shots came moments later, small pulses of red energy. With expert control and precision, Saria watched as her cybernetic companion whipped the sword around, sending the pulses flying away and into the darkness, faint hisses attesting to where they hit snow and wet bark.

Who would be attacking them? She wondered, and she started to get up. She got her answer a half second later when Bunnie emerged from the trees, a hold out styled weapon that was built into her arm shooting at the ARC trooper. Her face was twisted into a mask of rage and hate, and for a moment, she felt a spike of pain in her mind as she looked upon her aunt. She could feel the anger that radiated from her.

The Mobian continued to fire upon her armored friend. Norrack deflected another blast or two, and then lunged forward. The ground squirrel's heart shot up into her throat and she feared that the worst was about to happen. To her surprise, however, Norrack deactivated his kaiburr sword before he reached the rabbit. What she thought would have been a killing blow instead turned into him grabbing Bunnie's artificial arm and jerking it up away harmlessly. A shot or two hit him as he did this, but a field of crackling energy stopped the shots cold. The rabbit responded with a kick that forced him to break away from her.

Before she could level the gun though, the princess had had enough.

"Stop!" Saria shouted, causing both combatants to look over to her.

Bunnie snapped her gaze back to Norrack a split second later, half expecting to be cut down for taking her eyes off of him.

"Get out of here, Saria!" she barked, her eyes daring the killing machine in front of her to try something.

He did, in fact. He took the hilt of his weapon and placed it back up in the harness that he wore around himself. Bunnie was slightly surprised by this, by her gaze only narrowed. She knew all the head job things that he knew how to do, and she wondered what manner of game this was.

She heard snow crunching behind her, and knew that her little niece was not only disobeying her, but walking closer.

"I said get back!" Bunnie said.

"But…" the girl began.

"Don't 'but' anything with me, missy, don't you know what this thing is?" the rabbit replied, her words spoken out of the side of her mouth, her green eyes narrowed in a burning rage.

"Yes, Aunt Bunnie, he's a friend," she said, steel to her words, her arms crossed over her chest.

"He's a killing machine, Saria!" the former Freedom Fighter said before she turned her attention back to the armored figure in front of her. "I don't know how you survived that fall, buster, but I don't think you'll cheat Death twice."

"If I'd wanted you dead, you wouldn't be breathing right now," the cyborg said with an unmistakably bitter tone to his voice.

Bunnie kept her expression the same as ever. Deep down, though, she realized he spoke the truth. He'd had golden opportunity to kill her, and he hadn't. Still, she suspected a trap. Why else would he have Sally's child all the way out here? What was his plan?

"He saved my life."

Unable to stop herself, the rabbit pivoted around and looked the young ground squirrel straight in her face. She shifted her gaze back towards the ARC trooper a second later. His expression, whatever it was, was hidden behind that helmet of his. It was different, she realized. The armor, the helmet, even his weapons looked different, the handles of what she now realized were a pair of kaiburr swords stuck up from a harness on his back. Their hilts were slightly longer, the curve in their handles a little more pronounced.

Still, he was the same underneath, wasn't he? A ruthless killing machine; the thing that had taken her arm and legs from her forever. She might never be normal again, and it was thanks to him. There was a fury in her soul, a fire that burned hot and bright as the sun at high noon. Something that simply demanded that she open up and shoot him, regardless of how much damage she might inflict upon him, or he upon her.

He turned around, started to head away from her. In her rage she saw it as a mocking taunt, his way of daring her to shoot at his exposed back. She leveled her arm mounted weapon and prepared to fire.

She felt something shove her down, and the shot went awry. It hit a tree some distance off, and snow could be heard sizzling once again. She looked over, saw Saria standing there, a mixture of shock and disbelief upon her face. Then she looked back over to where Norrack was. He'd stopped, and was now looking back at her. There seemed to be a slump to his shoulders. He looked like a wounded animal, a feral wolf that had been bested in a fight and now was trying to limp away with its tail between its legs.

"Saria," he said, "don't get yourself in trouble for my sake. It's not worth it."

"But…" she said.

"Don't." He cut her off with a gesture and a shake of his head.

Bunnie got to her feet, and looked down at the princess. "You'd better get back to Knothole, Saria. Maybe, if you're lucky, I won't tell your mother about this."

Torn, she looked back and forth, one moment she stared at her aunt, the next at her new friend. The cyborg nodded slowly, and she put a foot behind her, and then turned and dashed away, a sonic boom being left in her wake.

"What did she mean by you saving her life?" Bunnie asked as the shockwave faded; her eyes still narrowed at him.

"I pulled her out of a river a few nights back," he said, his arms crossed, his stance still giving off that look of defeat.

"What was she doing out here?" she asked, her eyes once more narrowed suspiciously.

"Looking for me. I got careless when I was in the village and…"

"You were in the village?" she growled.

"Can a man pay his respects to the fallen?" Norrack suddenly snapped, his words filled with a poison colder than the November air.

"Those you killed?" Bunnie scoffed.

"And those I maimed," he said with a nod towards her. "You have no idea what it's like, no idea at all."

"Pardon me if I find this a hard pill to swallow, buster," she said, moving her arm to where it could easily be brought up to shoot at him again. "All I know is I found you out here alone with my niece."

"I would never hurt her, Bunnie." Norrack said, his tone went from bitter to pain filled in a flash. "Never."

"You know my name?" She sounded surprised, but she kept the shock from appearing on her face.

"I've known it for years," he responded.

"Right, ever since I was a target of yours," she said with a glance down at her limbs.

"Longer than that," he replied.

The moon broke through the cloud cover, and shone down upon them. A ray of its argent light seemed to catch upon the cyborg. Only then did Bunnie notice something. Around Norrack's neck was a slender chain, and a ring hung upon it. It looked like it was made of ferrosteel, and had been slightly blackened by exposure to flame. She cocked her head slightly, not sure what to make of this.

"Where did you get that?" she asked and gestured to it.

"Years ago. It was mine, I had plans for it… before my life was stolen," he said, his voice barely audible.

Bunnie stood where she was, unmoving, her face unreadable. A battle raged back and forth within her with this new revelation. She'd always seen the being in front of her as a devil. She remembered all the people that he had killed, the soldier he'd skinned alive. She remembered what he'd done to her, done to Antoine, done to Sally and Tails. She remembered how he'd destroyed her home. Now, though, that one object seemed to make a difference. Who had he been before being transformed? Was it possible that he wasn't that, that thing, anymore?

The thought was crushed as soon as it entered her head. She glared at him once again.

"I'll be nice, Norrack, and I'll let you go without a fight. But don't you dare think of coming near my niece again!" she said and clenched her robotic hand into a fist.

"I might as well stop you from seeing Guy," was the response that came.

"What?" the rabbit said, a dangerous undertone to her voice.

"I know about him, Bunnie, I know a lot about you. I always have," Norrack said, his voice cracking. "Always knew you and Ant would hook up some day."

He said it before he could stop himself. Maybe it was seeing an old friend look upon him with such hatred, maybe it was being threatened with being unable to see Saria again, maybe it was any number of things. It slipped out, though, and the effect was instant.

Bunnie recoiled, not understanding what she'd just heard. She wasn't stupid though. Her mind worked, trying to understand what she'd just been told. The ring, blackened by fire. His reference to stopping him from seeing Saria. His claim of intimate knowledge of her, and the way he'd referred to Antoine.

Her eyes widened and a gasp came from her throat.

He couldn't sense Saria anywhere nearby, so for once, he threw caution to the wind. The secret was out, apparently, so why not go all out.

"Come on, Bunnie, don't tell me you never thought about it?" he said with a bitter laugh, his voice that damning, strange altered one that he'd been given. "Did no one ever think to question why Robotnik suddenly became interested in the ARC project after so many years? Did you ever wonder whose death my appearance just happened to coincide with?"

His laughter came again, bitter, broken, torn from a battered and damaged soul.

"Sugar-hog?" she dared to ask, her eyes wider then she could ever recall them being in her life.

"His shell," Sonic stated, raising a finger. "Saved from the brink of death, reconstructed, coupled with all the knowledge of how to kill and destroy, of all that I was meant to be, and then set loose upon my friends and family."

"Why… why didn't you…" Bunnie said, shaking her head, looking towards the ground, trying to contemplate this revelation.

"Why do you think?" he said, turning his back to her. "Was I just supposed to show up and say 'hey everyone, look who's back. Don't suppose you minded that I've killed half of Knothole and damn near killed you as well!'"

"Sonic…"

"Save it," he growled, and began walking away.

"Wait!" she cried, and started to run up to him.

He stopped her dead with a stare. Despite her newfound knowledge the being in front of her still commanded an almost palpable aura of fear, a fear that held her paralyzed in its grasp now.

"What?" he asked, his voice measured, neutral, cold.

"What about Sally, what about Saria?" she asked.

"What about them, Bunnie?" he asked, shaking his head. "After all I've done, I can't be a part of your world anymore... perhaps I was wrong to even try and befriend Saria. My crimes are too great."

He began to walk away once more and his form started to fade as he activated his cloak.

"She still loves you, you know," the rabbit said, trying to think of something to keep him from running off.

He paused for a moment. He was silent for a moment or two, and then turned around to face her.

"And that's why you can't let anyone know I'm still alive," Sonic said. "I don't want them to realize what I've become… what I've done."

"And where does that leave her?" Bunnie growled, her eyes narrowing again. "I still find her crying her eyes out over you, sugar-hog. You think you can just run around without a care in the world while she suffers like that?" She crossed her arms over her chest, a fierce glow in her eyes. "I never figured you for a coward…"

She never finished the sentence. Something hit her, something silent, invisible, but very much tangible. It had felt like she'd been hit by a brick wall, if such a thing were possible. Her breath was blasted from her lungs, and she hit the ground hard.

"Don't you dare judge me!" she heard Sonic snarl, his voice iron hard. "You have no idea what I've been through, what I still go through. I know that you hate me, and I don't blame you." There was a crack in the iron now. "But don't call me a coward when I'm still on your side!"

She got to her feet, groaning as she did so. She saw the hedgehog pivot about again, and once more try to leave. Maybe it was the pain she had felt in his voice, maybe she felt upset for what she'd said to him, his actions notwithstanding, but she called out one more time.

"Sonic!" she called, and he stopped again.

"What?" Now he sounded irritated.

"Here," she fumbled with a comm. link that she pulled out of her coat and tossed at him. He caught it with ease, and stared down at it. "If… if you need to talk, about anything."

She saw his blurred form move, and she assumed that he put it into his utility belt. He looked at her for a moment longer.

"I'm sorry. Promise me though…"

He never finished, but she heard a defeated sob as he turned and raced away. The shimmering outline faded into darkness, leaving her standing out alone in the cold.

She turned and headed back towards Knothole, an ache rising in her heart. She didn't know if what had just happened was a good or a bad thing.

It was a mystery that would haunt her for weeks.

* * *

Tears stung his eyes as he raced away. Should have known that it wouldn't last, that something would come up. Still, the ARC trooper tried to reach down, to find the silver lining. For a single, full week, joy had managed to creep back into his life. He'd cling to that for as long as it took. He was still doubtful, but within his soul, a small candle of hope had been lit.

He knew he had to keep going, keep fighting, keep struggling.

It was time for him to plan another convoy ambush.

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ASDASD

Okay, hope this wasn't as bad as my sub-consciousness keeps telling me it was.

Next chapter shouldn't take as long to post, as it's in progress as we speak. Chapter five is also where things will really start to take off for this story, plot wise, and expect some revelations in both it and number six.

That said, as always, feedback of any form is welcomed with open arms. Constructive criticism, advice, ideas for plots and weapons, etc, and so forth. Specifically, I am in need of designing a drop ship styled vehicle. Sonic has access to several LAAT vehicles (think Attack of the Clones, and you'll probably remember those things) but the as for the 'bad guys,' I'm coming up dry. I'm looking for something sleek and aerodynamic, but still able to take quite a beating, and as is usually the case with the people in question, decked out with an obscenely massive array of things that go boom.

Anyway, I wish you all a good day, and I hope that this has been worth you while.


	5. First Strike

Hello again, everyone, hope you're having a great day. This week hasn't been quite as stressful as normal, so I hope that this chapter's better than the last one was.

As always, many thanks to all that have taken the time to read this story, I hope it has proven to be worth your while. For those of you who have reviewed and offered advice, I cannot thank you enough. You've been a great help.

Lawyers: I own nothing but the characters who are creations of my own mind, so bugger the heck off!

* * *

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* * *

First Strike

Sally stared down at her daughter, watched as the little girl's chest gently rose and fell in blissful slumber.

Outside, snow fell once more. Tomorrow, Yuletide would be here and Saria was looking forward to unwrapping presents and hanging out with everyone else. The elder princess had been glad that she'd been so happy and eager. For some time, ever since they'd returned from Knothole, her little girl had been acting as if she was depressed. When she ran, it was not with the laughter that had so often accompanied it beforehand. Sally often time found Saria looking at the window as she came in to read a bedtime story and tuck her in. It was as if she was searching for something, but what for what exactly she had no idea.

"Goodnight, my little angel," she said.

She leaned down and planted a gentle kiss upon her daughter's forehead, before she went to the door that connected their rooms.

A few minutes later, she slid beneath the covers of her own bed, and let sleep claim her.

* * *

"Mom, Dad, I'm heading out!" the young fox called from the front door of their apartment.

"Alright, son, but don't be gone for too long," he heard his mother say.

He smiled and rolled his eyes. "You know me, mother, I'll be back before one o'clock."

With that, Miles Tails Prower stepped out of the door and into the crisp winter air. He exhaled and watched his breath steam away before he started plodding off in the direction of a nightclub that he'd planned to hang out at.

He didn't socialize much, his studies usually kept him so occupied that it was out of the question. That and he didn't often feel comfortable in large groups, considering his scars. Still, his coat wouldn't be that out of place where he was going and it might finally enable him to relax for a little while.

* * *

It didn't take him more than a couple of minutes to reach where he was going. The traffic signals were nice to him for a change, and the weather and time of day meant that vehicular activity was at a minimum, as was the line to get in. The bouncer, a large cougar, waved him past as he showed him his ID.

The two tailed fox placed the card back in one of his coat pockets. His hand brushed up against something metallic in the process. It was a DS-30, a small handgun.

He had never forgotten the manner in which his arms had been brutally scarred, but he'd always thought of it as something in his past. That had changed a couple of years ago. He still wasn't certain whether it had been a trick of his imagination, some mirage triggered by an unconscious memory, but he'd sworn that he'd seen a familiar blurred shape one day.

It had been some distance off, on a rooftop no less. When he'd taken a second look, it had been gone.

Still, fear of that day, no matter how hard he tried to deny it, had lingered within him. As soon as he'd been old enough, he'd gone and gotten a permit for a gun and a concealed weapon license. His parents didn't have a clue that he owned it, and he supposed that was so much the better. He wasn't certain that they'd outright disapprove, but he didn't want to look like he was running and hiding from some ghost from his past.

He stepped inside, and found himself immersed in a myriad of beats and fast paced music, while lights blinked on an off in a coordinated pattern. A sigh left him as he let the sounds wash over him, and he prepared to let his hair down.

One of the employees brushed by him a moment later, a heavily muscled panther who looked almost too young to have been working at a place like this. Tails had seen him here for about the past three or so months, and knew that his name was Smith, but that was about it. The fox nodded as he passed, and the other man tapped his index and middle fingers to his head in response.

It was then that Tails noticed that Smith had a large duffle bag over one of his shoulders. He raised an eyebrow out of curiosity, but then shrugged and figured that it was really none of his business in the first place.

He wandered out onto the dance floor, where he quickly forgot about Smith and his strange bag.

* * *

The panther entered an often unused section of the club and began to climb some stairs in the back of the area. His footfalls were quiet, those of a man who did not wish to be caught doing whatever it is he was. The climb was a long one, twelve stories straight up to the roof of the establishment. It was one of the taller buildings in this residential area of the city, and it offered a good view of the surrounding area when one got to the roof.

After a couple of minutes Smith reached his destination. The panther was not even really breathing hard, nor did he recoil when he opened a door and stepped out into the freezing December weather.

The wind had started to pick up, and it was beginning to look like there was a blizzard that might be starting up. A frown came over his face at the thought of that. A blizzard meant that Mobotropolis command in the palace might raise the newly made city shields in order to keep everything from being paralyzed by the snow. That would complicate his objective.

Quickly heading out and over to one section of a ventilation tower, he set the duffle bag down at his feet. He knelt down, and extended his claws, which he used to pry open a duct on the side of it.

A smile came across his feline muzzle as he reached inside and pulled out a helmet. It was followed by a chestplate, greaves, gauntlets, vambraces, and an assortment of other devices. Once he was sure that he had everything he needed, the cat stripped out of his uniform. He then reached up and ripped off a patch of fur on the back of his skull. It revealed a silvery grey plate about the size of a quarter on the back of his head that had a strange pair of small holes sticking out of the back of it.

It took him only about two and a half minutes to get everything together, and then he was dressed as he had longed to be once again. He snapped a belt for a utility harness, and double checked his belt-spat. Certain that he was good to go, he reached down and unzipped the duffle bag. In it were pieces of a large rifle weapon. With expert precision and speed that would have told anyone watching that he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he knew what he was doing, he assembled the blaster.

He stood once again, an imposing figure for anyone who might have been watching. Armor clad, and packing no less than six weapons on his person, he was a sight that would have caused more than a few to shudder and tremble in their boots.

He walked over towards the edge of the building. Before him was the best view of the eastern side of the Royal Palace as could be offered in this metropolis, exactly what he needed.

The panther got down on his chest and extended a bipedal mount from the barrel of his weapon. He looked up at the chronometer in his HUD, and then activated his weapon's systems. A rectangular screen appeared in front of his viewing screen. A neural impulse fired, and he zoomed in, while the flick of a switch turned everything to an acute infrared.

"Right on schedule," he muttered to himself.

He zoomed in, and from three kilometers away, had a perfect view of his target. He lowered the sight, moving it down towards the ground. Standing beneath the balcony that he'd been looking at was a trio of soldiers, all of them apparently chatting to one another. They maintained a semblance of discipline, but he could tell that they were slightly distracted. No doubt by the cold and the knowledge of what tomorrow would bring.

But they were still soldiers, and lack of attention to detail got you killed.

He reached out, and placed his index finger around the trigger of his rifle. The crosshairs on his viewing screen gave him a perfect view of the first guard's head surrounded by the rangefinder readings. The panther took a breath, and squeezed.

The rifle gave a slight kick against his shoulder, but no indication other than that that it had fired. Less than three seconds later, though, the man's head suddenly popped like an overripe melon.

His two comrades, to their credit, reacted instantly. They both dove behind an empty flower bed, before coming up with weapons raised and searching. One brought up a radio, to try and call in support. He wasn't fast enough though, as his chest exploded outward, various innards, or what was left of them, filling the air like a fine red mist.

The armored soldier could see the panicked look on the face of the sole remaining man. His fear would be short lived, though, as Death came on silent and invisible wings for him. Deprived of his head, he fell to the ground.

"MC-2371 here, sentries are down. Repeat, sentries are down, you guys are green for ingress," he said into a comm. link in his helmet.

"Roger that, their down on our side as well," came a female's reply. "Moving in now, keep us covered, Adrian."

"Yes ma'am."

Adrian flicked the switch on the side of the rifle again, and his vision turned to light amplification. Even then, he could barely see his five squad mates move in from the side. They were in a line, their weapons raised, their bodies hunched down to make a smaller profile. The one in the rear walked backwards to keep anyone from getting a drop on them. Within moments they were underneath the balcony.

"Osik!" he heard 08, Bendark, swear. "That verp really does make a mess out of people."

"Stow it, Ben," Shysa, MC-2469, growled. "Alright everyone, here we go, just like we planned."

Then there were grappling hooks up in the air, locking onto and latching into the balcony. They rose into the air like wraiths, and their unsuspecting prey didn't have a clue about what was going to happen.

* * *

She wasn't certain what it was that caused her to awaken so suddenly, but something tingled within her brain. The fur on the back of her neck stood up on end, and everything around her seemed to scream 'danger.'

Then she heard it. It was a quiet sound, the sound of a boot upon tile. It came from behind in, in the direction of her balcony. That and the quiet nature of the footfall meant only one thing: an intruder. She gave no indication that she was awake or aware of anything as the noise drew closer. She did open her eyes, though, and they fell upon a small dagger that she kept close to her bed. It was a ceremonial thing that had been given to her some time ago as a means of denoting her rank, but Sally's pragmatic nature had long ago had its blade sharpened into a dangerous edge.

The foot falls stopped, and she knew that the person was close now, very close.

The princess exploded into action, leaping up, grabbing the blade and slashing out at whoever was near her all in the same motion. A white armored hand recoiled away from her, and for a moment, Sally could not believe her eyes.

Five people, all encased in armor and armed to the teeth, were in her room. However, what stood out the most were the helmets. Their helmets completely enclosed their heads, and gave no hint as to what they looked like or even what species they were. The cheek regions, however, were sunken in, giving them an almost skeletal quality. A pair of black ridges ran up from the forehead along the cranial region, each one set about forty five degrees apart from the other one. Most telling of all, though, were the T shaped visors on them. They ran down the length of the elongated part, finally meeting with something that almost looked like a frown, but upon closer inspection was actually an armored breath filter.

Time resumed flowing normally, and she vaulted backwards as the one closest to her, a female by build, leveled her right arm. She heard a hissing sound, and then a 'thunk' as a dart like object sped over her.

Not about to try and go down without a fight, or face off five people with a small knife, she let out a scream and lunged. The guards on the other side would hear her, hopefully, and come to her aid.

They did. The door flew open a moment later. However, the duo, while brave and well trained, were not expecting what was on the other side.

One flew back into the other, a purple bolt of energy striking him in the chest, shredding his armor as if it wasn't even there, and blowing a good sized hole in him.

"Command, priority one," the other began even as her companion's corpse hit her.

She would never relay the rest of the call, as a shot silenced her forever.

Sally meanwhile, was grappling with the one that had tried to shoot her. The soldier was strong, but she was holding her own, fear for her daughter giving her an inner strength that she had not felt since Norrack had tried to kill Tails. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she brought the dagger closer and closer to the throat of her would be attacker.

Then she felt a pinprick to the back of her neck, and the knife feel from her hand. She slumped in the grip of her foe, unable to get her body to move. She tried to will it to do something, anything, but to no avail. Her foe slid her down to the ground, being rather gentle with her.

The princess saw a pair of them go through the door into Saria's room. Rage and terror filled her heart, rage that she was helpless now to act upon. She heard a slight boom, and then the sound of someone hitting the ground.

Saria was in her mother's room a moment later, wide eyed in shock and surprise. Sally looked up at her, the most movement she could manage. Her blue eyes met her daughter's green ones. The message was clear: Run!

She started to do just that. The young ground squirrel blasted out of the door and into the hallway. However, one of the intruders was after her. He dove out of the door and leveled his right arm. Sally heard a cry and fury surged through her. Much as she tried to force her limbs to move and respond to her commands, though, they would not. Two of the armored soldiers hurried out of the door.

Looking down at the fallen girl, Shysa had to admit that she was impressed. She hadn't expected the princess to be able to match her physically. Apparently their intelligence on her had been correct. Her respect for Sally Acorn grew a few notches in that moment.

"We've got target bravo, ma'am," she heard Rav, their close combat expert, report.

"Kandosii, now get back here, I'm calling in the cavalry," she said, a smile on her face.

That smile faded two seconds later when she heard Rav and Vizsla call out two words that had been drilled into their heads since day one.

"Hard contact!"

A thought from her brain and she could see what they saw. The dead soldier's comrades must have figured out enough of her message to deduce what was going on. Fast response time, the squad leader thought, had to give these Mobians that much. There were at least two dozen of them, and they were already taking cover behind various alcoves and the like, just as she'd thought they would.

Rav and Vizsla were doing the same, though they had tossed their bravo target in first to ensure that she was not harmed during the ensuing crossfire.

"Bendark, with me, covering fire in ten!" she shouted, and the other soldier nodded before rushing over to the door. "Avenging Angel, this is Drexl, we have the targets and need immediate evac. Alert, enemy is aware of us and we have engaged them, repeat, egress zone's going to be hot!"

"Roger that, Drexl, I'll be coming in hard and fast, ETA is four minutes," the voice said into her ears.

"Copy that, vode? We've got to hold for four minutes before we're out of here," she told the rest of the squad.

A chorus of affirmatives met her query. Satisfied, she moved to join Bendark by the door, and then she dove out through it, sliding neatly into another alcove.

"Suppression fire!" she said, leaning out and firing her rifle down the hallway.

A barrage of purple tinted energy bolts streaked down the length of the corridor, along with the massive booming of Raz's blast cannon as it spat a spread of fire at their foes. Most of the Palace Guard managed to duck back in time. One did not, though, and one of the bolts hit his left arm. A cry of agony echoed through the area as it was shorn off, the armor doing next to nothing to protect it. What was left of the arm, and that was precious little, thumped to the ground. The guard slumped to his knees and clutched at the stump. Shysa fired another bolt, and silenced him permanently.

Of those who did manage to evade the pulses of energy, they felt fear gnaw at them as they saw huge gashes ripped in the stone and craters the size of their head blossom outwards from the walls and floor, some its of shrapnel catching where armor didn't' cover and drawing blood.

Whatever it was that these intruders were using as weapons, they seemed to have stopping power on par with a small grenade launcher.

Some of them leaned out, and retaliated, loyalty to their endangered leader spurring their courage on. The attackers were forced back into their hiding spots as a multitude of blaster shots ripped past them.

"Keep them pinned, don't let up!" one of them shouted.

"Oh, you guys have no idea who you're dealing with," the girl muttered.

She reached behind her and drew one of several bizarre looking cylinders off of her belt. She used her thumb and index fingers to twist a part of it, and a light began to flash, while a small handle like object came out of the bottom. She shifted her grip to this handle, reached back as far as she could, and then let fly.

The device clanked down amongst the Palace Guards and cries of grenade went up among them. It did them little good, though, as the device went off with a rather impressive bang a couple of seconds later.

"Move it up!" she shouted.

Raz and Vizsla were quick to comply, the former grabbing the young princess and rushing forward as quickly as they could. However, before they could get all the way to Sally's room, another wave of guards appeared and started shooting. Thinking quickly, the two of them dove into Saria's room.

While this effectively put them out of the line of fire, something happened a moment later to throw yet another snag into their plans.

Shysa watched as the doors suddenly slammed shut, and audible bang echoed through the area. A sector lockdown. Smart move, she was forced to admit, and now there was a thick metal door between her and the rest of the squad.

Still, she was an elite, a chosen unit, something that was special even among her family. She was just as deadly on her own as she was with the rest of her pack. She checked her ammo counter. Sixty rounds left, nothing to worry about yet.

She could hear the rest of the squad through the mike. They were keeping calm for the most part, as they had been trained.

"Haar'Chak!" she heard Raz swear. "These doors are shielded."

"Hey, we're Cuy'val Dar, we don't need doors," Vizsla said, and the squad leader could hear the smile in her voice.

"Move it a little faster, will you, or have your forgetting that our boss is on the other side of these things?" Bendark growled.

"I'm on it, I'm on it," Vizsla said. "Praise the ancestors for thermal tape."

Shysa leaned out and fired another three shot burst. It hit a man dead on, and he seemed to explode as the energy pulses struck him. His friends were spattered with his remains, and for a moment, two of them remained paralyzed by that. It would prove to be their final error, as the armored intruder dropped them a moment later.

A bolt came in, glowing crimson. It struck her right upside the head. The impact knocked her backwards and her head hit the wall. Stars appeared before her eyes, but the squad leader growled and shook them away. This was her first real mission, and she would not fail. She leaned back out, brining up her rifle. A woman was rushing down the hallway, apparently thinking that the last shot had either killed or incapacitated her.

The targeting reticule on her viewing screen glowed red, and Shysa pulled the trigger. The surprise on the other female's face was evident as the shot slammed home.

"Boss, watch you're head!" she heard Bendark shout.

She ducked back and made her profile as small as possible. The door across the hallway exploded outward, showering her with bits of heated metal and stone. The pieces bounced and ricocheted everywhere, scuffing up her armor, but doing little other than that.

Sticking her gun out from behind the barrier, the soldier let down a barrage of suppressing fire, filling the air with energy and trusting that it would keep her adversaries' head down. For good measure, a second grenade was added to that recipe, and another bang rattled the eastern wing of the palace.

Something hit her shoulder and the impact knocked her to the ground. Instinct kicked in, and she twisted back into her hiding place. As she did, she got a glimpse of people coming up from behind. She was about to get sandwiched between a hammer and an anvil.

It was Kelborn who saved her.

The largest, most imposing member of the squad, he leaned out from behind the shattered door. His rifle was slung over his left shoulder, and in his hands he held a massive weapon. It was an ugly, seemingly armored beast that resembled what one might get if one were ever to cross a rocket launcher with a rifle. He fired from the hip, and a glowing blue comet streaked towards the enemy forces that were coming up from behind.

It hit the ground right in front of them, and Shysa' viewing screen gave her the image of a massive explosion of energy and light. Even before it had connected, the large wolverine had pivoted about and fired a second pulse down the other end. Those out in the open and several who had taken cover in time met the fate of their comrades, dead before they even had time to cry out in their agony.

"You okay, ma'am?" he asked quietly.

"Fine, Kel, just fine. Good job with the Karasawe," she replied.

"For when you must absolutely kill everything in an assault wave!" Vizsla said, echoing the words of their training.

"Avenging Angel here," a voice crackled over their comms, "I have visual on your location and I'm coming in, extract in thirty.

"Roger that," she replied as she got to her feet.

She stepped over into the elder princess's room. Kelborn shouldered his support weapon and brought out his rifle, before he bent down and scooped Sally up, holding her over his shoulder like she was a rag doll. Raz picked up Saria, and they quickly moved out onto the balcony.

Shysa paused for a moment and noticed that there were some grappling lines on the lip of the balcony. They didn't belong to her team, so how?

"They tried to sneak some guys up from behind you," Adrian said over their private channel. "I guess they figured that the corpses at the bottom were your work."

"How many?"

"A solid half dozen," the panther said. "They never knew what hit them."

"I see our ride," Bendark said gesturing to a small black dot in the distance, "Angel, hurry it up, my guts are telling me there's another wave of Palace Guards on their way here to try and spoil things for us."

"Keep your greaves on, Drexl," the pilot said as the ship streaked towards them. "Or do you want this Raptor to roast you inside of your armor on the approach?"

The ship slowed down as it drew nearer. Even then, it came far closer than most would have preferred at that kind of speed. Its design was sleek and smooth, resembling the avian for which it was named. The only irregularities on it were the semi-spheres from the various point defense weapons and the large engines that stuck out of the back.

Angel spun about and a hatch on the back opened up.

"Go, go, go!" Shysa ordered. "Kelborn and Raz first, everyone else after them."

The group complied, and within seconds, they were loaded up.

As the squad leader hopped up the boarding ramp, she heard a cry of rage. She spun around, leveling her gun instinctively.

None other than General Antoine D'Coolette was on the other end of her scope. He brought up an energy shield to block the shots that she let fly at him and leveled a submachine gun at the same time, sending a barrage of blue tinted pulses back at her. Some missed, and the rest of the group dove on top of their targets to prevent a mishap. The rest hit her armor and caused her to stagger, but did little other than leave black streaks in their wake. The general's shield, on the other hand flared white and faded into nothing after three shots.

Antoine dove out of the way and the next burst missed him, though Sally's floor now had several torso sized holes in it.

Then there was a loud roaring as the thruster's kicked up and Angel took off into the night.

"We've got a sniper to pick up, don't forget about him," she said to the pilot as she and the rest of the squad strapped themselves into the seats in the back of the craft. "Adrian, you okay?"

"Actually, got a slight problem here," he responded.

* * *

Tails staggered away from the dance floor. There were too many people down there for right now. He'd been buffeted around quite a bit, and had gotten a little tired of trying to apologize when he slammed into someone.

Deciding that some fresh air would do him some good, he decided to go up to the roof of the club. He wouldn't be up there for long, just long enough to clear his head.

After a few minutes of stair climbing, he reached his destination, and opened the door. A chill hit him. The wind was picking up, the snow starting to fall harder. A storm was coming, he'd have to leave sooner than he'd anticipated or risk getting caught on the way home.

He exhaled sharply, and took a couple of steps away, letting the door bang shut behind him.

He caught movement out of the corner of his eye, and shifted around. What he saw made his jaw drop. A man was standing there, decked out for battle with a large rifle in his hands. Near his feet was a duffle bag that looked very familiar.

"Smith?" he breathed.

The soldier leveled his right wrist, and the fox saw something that resembled a buster rocket launcher leveled at him. He dove to one side, his hand going for his pistol. It was out before he hit the ground, and he snapped off two shots. The first one went wide, but his second one slammed right into the T-shaped visor. There were sparks, but little other than that.

Tails rolled behind some cover that was provided by the venting ducts, and began firing back at the soldier. He got off three shots. Two missed as the man dove to one side. The third hit part of his left arm. Again, though, no good came of it. He heard a whining noise a moment later, and the soldier was flying in the air above his head, two small jets of flame keeping him aloft. The fox's mouth dropped open in shock as he felt something prick against his chest. He looked down, and saw a strange, dart-like object sticking out of it.

His eyelids suddenly felt as if they were made of lead, and he could not keep them open.

The last thing that he saw before fading away into darkness was a ship approaching.

* * *

"What's the trouble, Adrian?" his squad leader inquired.

"A civvie," he responded.

"You didn't slot him, did you? Our orders were no ne'kaan causalities." She sounded apprehensive.

"Negative, hit him sleeper dart. I'm going to put him out of this weather so he doesn't freeze," the panther said.

"Make it quick, I think they're going to try and raise that shield to keep us boxed in here!" Shysa ordered.

"Already at the door, ma'am," he said as he opened it up.

He placed the fox inside, and then shut the door, sealing him inside. Just in time, too, he could already hear the rumble of the Raptor's engines as it approached his position. He scrambled back down to where he was, picked up the clip and gas canister from where he'd reloaded, stuffed it into his bag, and then picked it up over his shoulder.

The transport craft spun around so quickly that anyone inside who had not been strapped down would likely have been thrown into a bulkhead on the far side. Adrian dashed over to the ship, reached it, and hopped up in a matter of seconds. It didn't take him much longer to secure his rifle and bag, and then strap himself in.

"Good to go," he announced.

"Good," the pilot said, "sensors are picking up an energy grid influx. They're starting to charge their shields."

"What now?" Kelborn asked as he looked up in the direction of the cockpit.

"You find out why my vode call me Bates," he responded with a laugh.

The white armored troopers had enough time for a confused look, before the Raptor blasted up into the air, throwing them all against their harnesses with enough force that they were certain that they were going to be bruised. The way they were hanging, they knew that they must have been climbing straight up at a speed that was close to the sound barrier.

About six seconds later they leveled off, and began to streak away from Mobotropolis, though it would be some minutes before they left the massive city behind, even at the speed that they were moving.

"So that's why they call you Bates," Adrian muttered, "because you're completely dini'la!"

"Guilty as charged, brother," the pilot responded.

"Nice job everyone, that's what you call an endex!" Bendark said as he pumped a fist into the air.

"We're not out of it yet, Ben," Shysa said. "How are our passengers?"

"Looking good, no sign of injury or anything like that," Raz reported, holding Sally's chin in the palm of his hand and giving her a complete once over.

Their conversation had not been over the private channel, their two guests had heard every last word. The troopers saw a bit of fear in the eyes of the younger princess, while her mother had pure rage blazing in them. They weren't really surprised, they'd just been captured after all, and several of their people gunned down in the firefight that had ensued.

Furious would actually not have been the proper word to describe what was going through Sally's mind at that moment. Rage that would have caused even Robotnik to cower before it surged through her, and if she had just been able to move her body, to will it to do something, she would have tried her damnedest to kill all of these people.

She could do nothing, though, and she forced herself to wait. A moment would come, somewhere, somehow, a moment would come. Then these… mercenaries or whatever they were would pay.

The one called Bendark cracked a seal and took his helmet off. The ground squirrel could see him, and her eyes widened. He was a wolf, his fur grey and his eyes a shinning blue. What struck her as odd, though, was how young he was. He couldn't have been more than sixteen years old.

"Hey, Bates," he called up to the pilot, "how long before we get back to base in this blizzard?"

The pilot leaned back around from his seat up in the cock pit, and the elder princess found her breath leaving her lungs one more time.

A greenish visor covered his eyes. It was partially transparent, and various bits of data and other information danced across it. However, she could see that the pilot looked as if he could have passed for Bendark's elder brother.

"About three hours at top speed in this weather," Bates said. "You guys get some sleep; I'll let you know if anything happens."

"We take it in shifts," the leader said. "Raz, Kelborn, you two watch them and make certain that nothing goes awry."

"Yes ma'am," the said in unison.

Sally just let herself think. Bendark and the pilot looked so much alike, yet they acted as if they barely knew each other. Something wasn't adding up. What was going on here?

* * *

Chaos had erupted all around Bunnie. Reports were flying, soldiers rushing about everywhere. Antoine had told her what had happened, and now her heart threatened to leap out of her throat. Sally and Saria, taken away like that, and more than sixty Palace Guards dead at the same time, all by a handful of intruders.

She kept calm, kept the panic under control, and tried to think of a way to help. It had reached her after a moment or two, and she had dashed back to her room. Buried in the depths of one of her drawers, she had kept a commlink, and she frantically pulled it out.

She punched in a frequency, and sent a burst communication along its way. The little machine beeped for several seconds, and she began to grow worried.

It had been some weeks since she'd given it to him after all, could he have discarded it?

"Come on, pick it up and answer it!" she hissed, her anxiety manifesting itself.

After a minute or so, the small screen in the center flicked on. A masked face met hers, a cold, emotionless visage. He remained silent, as if expecting her to make the first move.

"Thank heavens, sugar-hog," she said, a gasp of relief leaving her.

"Norrack," he corrected. "Why are you calling me?"

"It's Sally and Saria, they've…" She didn't know how to say it, and she placed a hand to her head.

"They've what?" he asked, concern now evident in his voice.

"They've been kidnapped!" she finally said. "Some soldiers or something broke into the palace and got them!"

"What did they look like?" he asked, his voice appearing clam on the surface, but rage boiled underneath.

"I don't know, but Ant said there were five of them," Bunnie replied and placed two fingers up against her temple while she shook her head in frustration. "They ripped the place apart too; they've got some kind of energy weapon we'd never seen before."

"Oh, that bastard…" she heard Sonic say. "Bunnie, get Nicole, grab a bike, and meet me in that clearing that Saria and I were in when you found us."

"What's your plan?" she asked and gave him a funny look.

"I'm going to get them out, and you're going to help me. Now grab a bike and get down here!" he told her, before he killed the signal.

The rabbit wasn't exactly certain what was going on, but she decided that she would trust Sonic. After all, he seemed to have an idea of what was going on here.

Less than ten minutes later, she used the chaos of the situation to speed out of the palace grounds and streak towards Knothole.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, there's a good stopping point.

Chapter six will reveal a little more about what's going on here, assuming you haven't figured it out already.

As always, constructive criticism, general advice, weapon ideas, vehicle ideas, and plot device ideas are more than welcome. Hope you've enjoyed this little piece of work, and thank you so much for your time bows

See you next time, so have a great day until then.


	6. Old Faces, Old Friends

Good day to you all and I hope that you've been doing well. Been a little somber today, with it being the 11th of November and all. Today marks the 88th anniversary of the end of the First World War. I'm certain that many of you, like me, had ancestors and relatives that might have served in that hell. Some returned; some did not. It is not much, but I would like to dedicate this chapter to the memory of all of those who shed their blood in the trenches of France.

If anyone you know is a member of the armed services, today, of all days, be sure to let them know how much their services are appreciated.

Lawyers: usual disclaimer, I don't own a thing here except my OCs.

* * *

&

* * *

Old Faces, Old Friends

The wind whipped through her hair and her ears as she shot through the woods. It had taken her three hours to get to where she was now, and all the while her mind had been tumbling about in an attempt to figure out what was going on here. Her best friend, her sister almost, and her 'niece' had just been stolen away from them in the night. In her desperation, Bunnie had turned to the one person she could think of.

Sonic's orders for her had left her even more confused about the situation, to say nothing of his cryptic mutterings during their little chat. He knew something, something that he wasn't telling her.

She slowed down as she reached the clearing that she'd confronted him in a little more than a month ago. It was still something she tried not to think about, something too horrifying and unreal. Sonic Hedgehog, hero, friend, and protector, was the same person that had butchered so many people in cold blood. He had maimed her, maimed Antoine, maimed Sally. She'd hated Norrack for that, despised him with all of her soul. Now, though, to learn that it had been one of her friends…

The times when she had thought of him, they had been strange. At first, she'd still felt a bit of disgust that he'd never come back and left Sally to take care of their daughter by herself. Now, though, the more she thought about it and about his strange words during their confrontation. What might he have gone through? What must it have been like for him to live with the knowledge of what he had done?

"Good, you're here."

The voice yanked her out of her thoughts. He was in the clearing, sitting astride an old TX hover bike, a Great War relic. For a moment, she wondered where he might have gotten it, but she shook her head and quickly focused her thoughts back on him, and on Sally.

"What do we do?" she asked, and she was unable to keep the anxiety out of her voice.

"Follow me, we need to grab some things first," he replied, and did could detect that subtle rage in his voice once again.

He turned his bike around and shot off. Bunnie followed behind him, wondering where they were going.

* * *

Dawn was cresting over the horizon as they came to a stop in a particular area of the forest. The ARC trooper pulled his bike up to a stop.

"What now?" Bunnie asked as she pulled up beside him, and stared around.

"Come with me," the cybernetic hedgehog said as he dismounted and began walking towards a cave that she was a few dozen meters off, bringing his hover cycle with him.

It was dark inside the cavern, but the floor wasn't strewn with boulders as she'd anticipated. Instead, it was smooth, and fairly wide. Her acute sense of hearing helped her as she followed Sonic down deeper into this place. For some minutes, they continued along this path, until she finally became impatient. Goddess only knew what was happening to Sally and Saria right now, and here they were busy spelunking.

"Why are we wasting time like this?" she exclaimed, shaking her head in the darkness.

"Only a fool goes into the heart of enemy territory without the proper equipment," was the enigmatic answer that she got.

She was about to walk up, turn the hedgehog around, and forcibly extract what he was hiding from her when she heard something. It sounded like beeping noises that came from one dialing in a comm. number. The process continued for some moments, and she raised an eyebrow in confusion. What was going on here?

There was a 'ding' that resounded throughout the cave, and suddenly light spilled out of a crack in the wall. It was harsh, white, sterile, and she hissed and raised her mechanical arm to shield her eyes from the sudden brightness. She could see Sonic's form, a black blur against the beams that seemed to radiate out from whatever it was he had just unlocked. As her eyes adjusted, she saw him walk forward, pulling his cycle along by his side.

"You coming or not?" he asked as he looked over his shoulder at her.

Hesitantly, not quite sure what to expect from this, she stepped inside the chamber. It was fairly large, and there was plenty of room for more another three or four people and their own hover cycles in it. She saw a control panel on the wall, and it confirmed her suspicions that this was an elevator shaft of some sort.

The doors slid shut, and then the lift shot downwards at a frightening pace. Bunnie felt her heart and stomach leap upwards and try to escape through her mouth, but she somehow managed to keep the sudden bit of nausea in check. She wondered how fast they had to be going.

She reckoned that it must have been about three minutes before the lift started slowing down, and a good four before it came to a complete halt. Bunnie looked over to Sonic, as if she was trying to read him. However, his face, hidden behind its helmet, was a blank slate.

The doors slid open, and he started to walk forward.

"Leave the bikes here," he said while he gestured for her to follow him.

The rabbit did so, and as she stepped out of the lift, she felt her eyes grow so wide that they might have fallen out of her skull. This place, whatever it was, was massive. Lift shafts and blast doors dotted the floor they were on. Down below, in concentric circles, she could see dozens of other levels, all of them built like this one.

"Stars alive!" she exclaimed, and she looked over to Sonic, silently demanding an explanation for this.

"Stonehenge," he said. "It's an old military base several kilometers under Mobius' surface… and it's where I was conceived. Down here, in this place, the first successful genetically engineered ARC troopers were created."

"How large is this place?" she asked, unable to keep her curiosity contained.

"Tunnels and compounds extend for several klicks in every direction. This place is designed to be a self contained fortress city," he said as he walked towards a tram node.

Pressing a button, he waited for the maglev train to arrive. It was quick in answering its summons, and the doors opened about fifteen seconds after he pressed the switch.

"Destination, please," the computer asked.

"Armory C," he told it, before he looked over at Bunnie. "You might want to grab onto something," he said as he reached up and wrapped his hand around a pipe.

She had scarcely obeyed his advice when the train shot down the rails. Had she not been holding onto something, she knew that she would have been thrown off of her feet. As it was, a gasp of surprise still left her throat. Sonic looked over at her again, and she stared into that black visor. Was he checking to make certain that she was okay?

That thought froze in her mind for a moment or two. Had the years really hardened her to the point where she actually had to wonder that about him? Him, the man that along with Antoine had saved what was left of her humanity and soul those years ago. She cursed herself for a moment. How had she reached this point?

She felt herself shifting forward as the maglev came to a halt. She braced herself against the floor as they arrived at the terminal. The doors opened, and the two of them stepped out. Bunnie's eyes focused on two things. The first was that there were three large doors in front of her, each easily twelve feet wide. The second was a small utility droid, cheerfully beeping to itself in binary as it patched up a loose circuit board.

Sonic marched towards the centermost door, and pressed a few keys on a number pad, before reaching down and slapping a larger button on the bottom. The door slid up and once again Bunnie found herself gasping.

The room inside must have been two hundred feet deep, and perhaps a quarter of that in height with ladders and catwalks on higher levels. And everywhere, from top to bottom, there were guns. She saw rifles, pistols, blast cannons, light and heavy repeaters, carbines, and more grenades and power packs than she could count.

Also, in a rack by themselves, over by one corner, was a group of rifles that looked like they didn't belong. There was something about them that just looked alien, exotic. They were all black, and were slightly larger and bulkier than the DC-19 that Sally had favored in the past. A large scope was mounted on each of them, and the front end was much like the old MA6B rifle used during the earlier days of the Great War, with the shorter grip angling up to meet the large mass of metal and composites that surrounded the barrel. Just behind that was a strange, circular looking bit set into it.

There was something about the gun that looked familiar, though. Though the stock was straight and like a standard rifle, the rear grip, just behind the trigger guard, consisted of a solid piece of metal that one could stick a thumb and the rear part of the palm through.

It reminded her of a charric. Mystified, she moved towards them.

"Don't touch the jurkadirs," Sonic said as if he read her mind.

Confused, she twisted to look at him, and found that he was heading over towards a particular set of submachine guns. What had he called those rifles? They didn't look like anything she'd ever seen before in her life, and after all of her years fighting, that was a rather long list of small arms.

"Why not?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Because I don't have time to teach you how to use one," he said, grabbing a weapon and a few accessories for it.

He walked back over to her and thrust the gun at her. It was an old E-10. They'd been used in the earlier part of the Great War, but then latter replaced by the E-11, a more economical weapon. This one had been deemed as having too many gadgets that were unnecessary, and its cost had been too high. Among those was a power modulator, and Sonic reached down and flicked it up to its highest setting.

"That's gonna cut my magazine in half," the rabbit said, looking astounded that he'd set it so high. What was he expecting them to fight, tanks?

"Better half a magazine than a full one that won't do squat," he said over his shoulder as he went back to the racks.

Bunnie remained where she was, now extremely confused. She could only watch, her eyes growing wider by the moment, as Sonic returned with an armful of weapons and a suit of body armor. He quickly split the load between the two of them. A pistol for each of them, again, an older DL-44 with adjustable power, several knives, some of them balanced for throwing, and a couple handfuls of grenades. Across his back was a Jackhammer. That, more than anything else, surprised her.

"What in the Nine Hells do you think we're going to be fighting, sugar-hog?" she asked, a look of stunned disbelief on her face at this outrageous amount of firepower. "Mandalorians?"

His response was to look up at her. He remained silent, just stared at her for a moment or two. Then he went back to snapping everything into place on himself. Finally, he flexed his left arm a bit, and the two vibro claws mounted on them extended. He looked at them for a moment, and Bunnie could see her own reflection staring back at her from the polished blades.

"Let's go," he replied.

* * *

King Elias Acorn paced back and forth. His hair was tussled, and his eyes blood shot, as if he had spent the whole night tossing an turning in his sleep. It would not have been far from the truth, what little sleep he'd been able to get was uneasy. Guards were still scrambling everywhere and CSI units scouring over every single inch of the eastern wing of the palace in a desperate attempt to figure out what had happened last night.

He looked over to his father, who looked halfway between having a breakdown and going off on some psychotic rampage. Elias was confused, unsure of what to do, this was a crisis that he had not been prepared for and it showed. It was difficult to wrap his brain around. A single group of intruders had snuck in, and taken his sister and niece off into the night, and had slaughtered any who had dared to oppose them. This appeared to be the first true challenge that he was going to have to face since he ascended the throne.

He looked over to his two closest advisors, Antoine and Geoffrey. The latter had tried to assure him that it was probably just some group of random (albeit extremely heavily armed) thugs, who would send a message soon enough for a ransom or the like, and then they'd be able to act. Antoine had remained strangely quiet, though he'd been chatting into an ear piece com link for quite some time now.

The coyote finally placed his hand up to the ear device, and turned it off, before he looked over to his lord.

"Good, he's finally here," he said, causing everyone to look at him.

"What do you mean?" the young monarch asked, his eyebrows raised as he finally stopped pacing back and forth.

"I was the only one to witness the attackers and live to tell about it, my lord, and I've got a hunch. I've taken the liberty of calling in an expert to take a look at everything. It took a while for the guards to get him cleared, and he had some other business to attend to, but he'll be here any second now," the general said, and he clasped his hands behind his back.

"Who is this so called 'expert'?" Geoffrey asked, his tone incredulous and degrading.

No sooner did he say the words than the door to the room open, and a man entered, flanked by a quartet of guards. Just about everyone's mouth opened as they stared at him. He was old, his features withered and sunken. His clothes seemed to hang off of his limbs and he moved forward with an obvious limp to his left leg. Despite this there was still a spark in his golden eyes.

"It's been a while, general," he said and he extended his hand.

"Good to see you again, Derrick," Antoine said as he shook it.

"What the bloody hell is he doing here?" Geoffrey exclaimed, outraged.

"He is here because we need his expertise," Antoine said out of the corner of his mouth, his eyes narrowed in a glare.

"I'll wager it's something big, seeing as how this place is locked down tighter than a megacorp's vault right now," Derrick said as he crossed his arms.

"We were attacked last night, Derrick. Princess Sally and Saria were kidnapped and dozens of guards killed in a five minute shootout in the eastern wing of the palace," The general stated; his tone was deadly serious.

"So why call in me? I'm sure that you've got people—"

"Because, I have reason to suspect that they were Mandalorians," the coyote cut him off.

Derrick paused, his amber eyes going wide for a moment or two. He blinked once, twice, three times, and then stared right at the other man.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his voice quiet. "How do you know?"

"Their armor, for one thing," Antoine said. "They had all the trademarks. The T shaped visor, heavy plating, and kamas. Their weapons were also rather potent, a type that we'd never seen before."

"Show me everything," the old warrior said as his eyes narrowed.

* * *

He stood in the eastern wing, in the corridor that held the princesses' rooms. Craters and holes were everywhere, and sketched out markings showed were scores of guards, or what was believed to have at one point in time been guards, had gone down.

"I see you weren't kidding when you said that their weapons were powerful…" he said, his eyes wide. "I've never seen this kind of damage short of rifle mounted grenade launchers."

He'd seen some pictures of the guards, but Mobians were rather frail compared to ferrosteel. This gave everything a whole new level of soberness.

"That's from their small arms," Antoine assured him as he moved up past him. "Come see what's inside the rooms."

It was not quite as much of a mess as the hallway was, but there was something that surprised Derrick, and that was that next to the door that connected the room of mother and daughter, there was a nice sized hole. The debris from the blast was still on the floor, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of awe as he stared at it. The hole was large enough for a fully grown Mobian to pass through with little difficulty. Furthermore, there was no damage to the surrounding area, aside from the floor being an absolute mess. That had been a shaped charge of some sort, there was no other explanation for it.

The person had also known exactly how much explosive to use to get the job done.

The old warrior slowly looked around the room, trying to absorb every detail and clue. He stopped as he looked at the wall closest to the corridor, and he stared at something.

He frowned as he stepped over to it, and got down on his knees. There was a tiny hole in the wall, and it went in too deeply and was much too narrow to have been the result of someone being careless with a hammer or something like that.

"Did someone pull something out of this?" he asked, looking up at Antoine.

"No, not that I know of," the general said with a shake of his head.

"Give me a light," he said, and someone quickly passed him a small flashlight.

He turned it on and shinned it in the hole. There was a tiny glint of something metallic at the end of it, something that he knew didn't belong there.

"Then one of your pals did, there's still some of it left in there." He gestured to it.

One of the CSI crews quickly retrieved it with a pair of forceps, and after it had been bagged, the old man took a long, hard look at it.

"Looks like a needle, or part of one," the coyote murmured, scratching his chin.

"I know that kind of hypodermic," Derrick said. "It's from a saber dart."

"A what?"

"Let's head back to the war room, I'll explain there…" he started to say, when a beeping noise came from his vest.

He pulled out a comm. and answered it. It was an older model that didn't have a view screen, and Antoine could faintly hear another voice on the line, but he couldn't make it out.

"The di'kulta judge is still giving you grief, Amadeus?" he asked. "Have you told him that Tails has never been in trouble before?"

"What's wrong?" Antoine asked.

"Tails' is in a holding cell," Derrick said as he covered up the comm., "someone found him passed out at a club last night, and a tox report found some very potent and illegal drugs in his system." He placed his ear back to the device. "Wait a minute, Amadeus, back up, he's claiming what?"

He paused for a moment, and then handed the phone to Antoine.

"Talk to those cops, and tell them to get that kid on a channel with us down in the war room, I think he's got quite a story to tell," the Mandalorian said.

* * *

"You all understand that this is top secret at the moment, strictly for eyes only," Antoine said, getting a series of nods.

They were surrounded by all the evidence of the previous night. Maps and holograms of dead soldiers were everywhere. Off in the far corner was a large screen. Tails was on it, his parents standing off to a side and two police officers flanked him. To say that he looked nervous and frightened would have been an understatement, and the fact that he'd been caught with an empty gun holster in his coat hadn't helped him in the slightest.

"Gentlemen and ladies," Derrick said as he stared around, his posture one of a military officer, "after reviewing the evidence at hand, I have come to believe that last night you were attacked a squadron of Cuy'val Dar."

"Cuy'val Dar?" Tails asked from where he was, his face scrunched up in confusion. "Those who no longer exist?"

"So you have been working on your Mando'a," Derrick said with a smile. "That's the literal translation, but a more appropriate one would be Ghost, or Specter. The Cuy'val Dar are Mandalorian super commandoes, special forces, even more dangerous than normal ones."

"Sounds like the voice of experience," Elias said with a raised eyebrow, a frown upon his face.

"Most Death Watchman are culled from those ranks," he said with a nod. "Normally, the more experienced soldiers eventually become Cuy'val Dar after they have participated in a certain number of battles and have demonstrated the necessary tactical abilities to allow for the training.

"At any rate," he continued, "last night, the eastern wing was attacked by a group of six well armed Mandalorians—"

"Five, there were five of them," Geoffrey said, glaring up at the older man.

"There were six, colonel, let me assure you," Derrick responded, his tone indicating that he was trying to keep his temper in check. "You may have only faced five in here, but they had a sixth man serving a sniper."

"How do you figure?" the skunk asked, his arms crossed.

"The autopsy images of the men who tried to go up through the princess' balcony."

"They were found to have been shot as they attempted the climb," the colonel said, a sneer forming on his face. "Shot from the front."

"Then fire your coroner, 'cause he's a di'kut!" Derrick snapped, and pointed to one of the images. "Look at his chest, how the cavity's been blown outward like that, colonel, he was shot from behind by a very high powered weapon."

"Then where did this sniper take his shots from?" Maximilian inquired as he leaned forward and rested his chin on his fist.

"Tails, where did you say that club you were at was?" the artic fox asked as he looked over his shoulder.

"Clain's Street, address number 9082," the young boy said.

"Pull the map out just a bit," Derrick said, and waited as Antoine pressed a few buttons and zoomed out slightly. "Here?" he asked, pointing to a spot on it.

Tails nodded silently, hoping against hope that this would get him out of the mess that he was in. His 'uncle' just smiled and placed one finger on the club's location and the other upon the battle zone. It made a perfect diagonal line.

"Pure, unobstructed view of the target area, just what any sniper would need," he said. "I'd say you startled him, Mil'ika, and he probably shot you with something, right?"

"Yeah, a dart of some kind," he said.

"Officers," the Mandalorian said, "if you will review his tox report, you will probably find it similar to the stuff that we pulled off of this," he held up a small bag with the broken needle in it. "It's an old Mandalorian weapon known as a saber dart, used for silent kills or delivering an incapacitating attack when a target needs to be taken alive."

"Impossible," Geoffrey said with a negative shake, "that place is more than three kilometers away from where the attack took place, there isn't a sniper rifle in existence that has that kind of range."

"There isn't a rifle that you own with that kind of range," Derrick countered with a glare. "If nothing else, I would think that the attackers' weapons would have shown you that whatever it is that they have access to, it's beyond what we have."

"So what do we do? And why would Mandalorians kidnap my daughter and granddaughter?" Maximilian asked.

Derrick paused and sighed. "I'm not really sure, your majesty. Contrary to what Colonel St. John believes, I don't think this was a simple kidnapping for ransom."

"Why not?" Elias asked, his head cocked quizzically to one side.

"Because their equipment and transport were far too sophisticated for that. Someone gave them help, assuming that they were even mercenaries in the first place," he explained.

"So who sent them in?" Antoine asked, his head bowed, a frown upon his muzzle.

"You don't send in the Cuy'Val Dar, general, they're already there," Derrick said, limping towards the screen that Tails was on.

"What do you mean?" the boy responded.

"You said you knew who the soldier was, right?" the old warrior asked, getting a nod from the kit. "Run his photo through the computer systems, check for anyone who looks even remotely like him on one of those palace tours you guys give from time to time. He might be disguised, but I can guarantee that he's been through here. And his squad mates as well. They've probably been lying low among the population for the past several months, planning all of this."

"That still doesn't tell us how to get Sally and Saria back!" Max snarled abruptly, as he rose up out of his seat, despair and rage churning within him.

"I don't know how to help you there, sir. This has me confused as well," Derrick said. He saw confusion, and then elaborated. "Mandalorians have taken prisoners before, usually for exchange or under the orders of whoever they were working for. However, we have never, never, kidnapped children. It's dishonorable, and opens up the door for a lot of things we don't particularly enjoy. Whoever these Mandalorians were, the rules of the game have changed, and they've changed a lot."

* * *

They had been placed in a cell, and only a few hours had passed since whatever they had hit her and Saria with had worn off, allowing them to move once more. The little girl had been rather scared, and the elder princess now lay on one of the cots in the cell, gently rocking her back and forth, humming a quiet lullaby.

She was a little frightened herself, as this brought back memories of Robotnik's era, of the time when she had been captured and had spent time in a cell much like this awaiting roboticization. She'd been able to out smart the despot and escape. However, it was an experience that she'd had no desire to repeat.

There was a hissing noise, and she twisted to look at the door. One of the soldiers stood there, fully decked out, his rifle pointed right at her. Without moving the weapon away from them, he motioned for her and Saria to follow him.

The two ground squirrels did so. Sally's eyes once more burned in rage though, and she gave the soldier a glare that could have melted ferrosteel. Saria also tried to remain brave in the face of what was happening, silently reminding herself of whose child she was and what that meant.

The other five Mandalorians were standing outside as well, weapons out and ready. With two of them in front, and the remaining four behind their prisoners, they began to walk down the corridor.

It was quite long, and Sally had to wonder just how big this base was, and for that matter, just how many other soldiers were here as well. This place was much too large for just this group and that pilot that had brought them here. She regretted that her disorientation had not enabled her to really get a good grasp of how this place was laid out. That would complicate any attempts at escaping.

They reached the end of the hallway after a minute or two. A trio of elevator shafts that were the same steel gray as the rest of the place waited for them there. One of the soldiers, probably the leader, pressed the button to summon the lift. It reached them in a record amount of time, sliding open silently.

"Inside," the female said, her tone neutral as she gestured with her rifle.

The two of them walked forward. Once they were passed the doors and in the back of the elevator, the other Mobians followed. One pressed a button and they were soon moving up through the complex.

Sally took a moment to examine them once again. They were cool, calm, and gave off this sense that they were the best at what they did. Much as she hated to admit it, it was a little intimidating. She wasn't truly certain if these were Mandalorians as they didn't look quite the same, but if the way they moved, acted, and fought were any indication, then they certainly lived up to the name of what they were attempting to emulate.

The elevator doors dinged open, and another long hallway awaited them. A gesture from the leader and they were moving again, this time with the entire squadron taking up position behind them. Sally looked down, and saw her daughter's nervous expression. Maternal instinct kicked in, and she reached down and grabbed her hand, letting her know that she wasn't alone, that the two of them would face this together, however it ended.

The large double doors loomed in front of them, like the maw of some alien creature. Steeling herself, Sally walked forward. The doors opened, and a strange sight met her eyes, causing her to gasp.

It was a large room, almost like a training dojo. In the center of it were two warriors, one black and red, the other silver and blue. They fought back and forth, their bladed weapons creating a harsh cacophony as they grated upon one another.

A Death Watchman with a zhaboka, and the other could not have been anything but a Mandalore. Any doubts that she might have had about the authenticity of her captors' heritage was erased in that moment.

Then she noticed the others.

There were several other Death Watchmen present, holding rifles and clad in armor that looked rather similar, if slightly more personalized, than the ones the soldiers behind her had. However, what truly held Sally's attention were the children.

There were dozens of them all lined up along the walls, watching the battle with interest. Intelligence verily glowed within their eyes, and they were quite muscular and athletic for their age. However, what Sally noticed most about them was that they were almost all identical to one another. There were different species present, but each one looked the same as the rest of his or her kind.

There was one exception.

An artic fox watched the fight, his pale blue eyes darting back and forth between the two combatants. His arms were crossed, and his face furrowed in concentration. He was not much older than Saria.

Sally was starting to put two and two together here, and it chilled her to the core. She took one of the children, a wolf, and scaled his age up. Mentally, she compared him to Bendark. The look in her mind's eye was all too eerie.

"Clones," she breathed aloud, unable to stop herself.

The battle in front of her stopped, and she suddenly felt every eye in the room upon her as the word seemed to echo around. Her eyes went to the Mandalore as he took his weapon, which looked somewhat like a standard Mandalorian zhaboka, except that it was curved and cruelly serrated. The armored soldier twisted the weapon's handle, and it separated into two different pieces. The blades found their way to sheathes at the warrior's sides, and as the Mandalorian drew closer, Sally noticed the difference in the armor.

It didn't look like Derrick's old suit at all. The plates were bulkier, covered more of the body. However, it didn't seem to impede his movement at all, something that she found curious. The Mandalore reached up and removed the helmet with its blue mythosaur visage, and revealed himself to her.

Again, he looked like an older, more rugged and hardened version of Bendark; close to her age actually. In his eyes was a strange duality. They were hard as ice, cold and unfeeling, and yet, at the same time, there was a spark within them, something that she couldn't quite put her finger on. A pair of blood red streaks wound down from his face, as if someone had slashed open his tear glands and the blood that had followed had permanently stained his fur.

"Princess Sally, I presume?" he said.

His voice was deep and for the most part, smooth. There was an edge to it though, something that said that he was a warrior who had seen his share of battles.

Sally remained defiantly silent, her eyes narrowed to another glare. A corner of the wolf's mouth turned upward slightly and slowly became a smile. He extended his right hand towards her.

"It's an honor to finally have the chance to meet you in person," he said.

The ground squirrel gave him a confused look, not certain what to make of this.

"Who are you?" she asked, "and why have you kidnapped me and my daughter?" she hissed, poison lacing her words.

"It was our job," the wolf said as he lowered his hand and faced the soldiers behind her.

"What are your names?" he asked.

"Sir, MC—" Shysa began.

"Your real names, soldier."

One by one, the Cuy'Val Dar sounded off and removed their helmets, and gave the captives a look at the ones they hadn't seen yet. Shysa was a husky, Raz a white leopard, while Vizsla had the distinctive fur of an artic fox. All looked like older versions of the children in the room, or younger variants of the Death Watchmen.

"There are not enough credits on Mobius to buy the honor that you have earned today. You are worthy of the names that you bear, and in the future, when the time comes, I will look forward to fighting by your side." He brought himself to attention and saluted the commandos, who promptly returned the gesture. "As for the rest of you, I want you to take a good, long look at our friend here." He nodded towards Sally. "This is the person I've told you about, the person you want to emulate if you ever need to resort to guerilla tactics."

"Excuse me?" the elder princess said, confused once again by the wolf's behavior towards her.

"We fought under your command for a time," one of the Death Watchman said, walking up and removing his helmet, revealing himself to look just like an older Adrian, save that he also had the bloody tattoos running down from his eyes.

"In the Southern Divisions," said the one that the Mandalore had been fighting. Again, the helmet came off, and again she could see a female fox staring at her. Once more, the markings underneath the eyes were present.

"We were exiled, however, after we helped retake the city of Station Square, once our identities were revealed. I guess the past doesn't die easily among your kind," the Mandalore said and he lowered and shook his head. "Despite that, you yourself never wronged us, and we hold you in the highest of regards."

"Why is that?" Sally asked, her eyes roaming over the armored warrior in front of her as she tried to figure him out.

"Because, princess, you are a leader, and I daresay we would have welcomed you among our ranks." He smiled again, and respect seemed to burn in his eyes all of a sudden. "Before you came the people of this world, the few that were left, were ready to curl up and die, to surrender to Robotnik. You changed that. You were a child, not even a teenager, and yet you fought back. You wound up turning demoralized, defeated _messes_ into groups of coordinated resistance strike forces. You turned the war around, and for that we honor you." He bowed low, but kept his eyes upon her.

"So who's your boss?" she inquired. Her voice still had an edge to it, but it wasn't quite as hard as it had been before. She sensed that these people bore her no ill will, though the presence of all of these apparently cloned children did unnerve her.

Worse, in order for the ones behind her to be as old as they were, if these people were telling the truth, then their aging processes had to have been accelerated by a large margin. That would explain why Bates had looked so much older than Bendark, and Bendark so much older than these children. Where would they have gotten the data necessary to do that, though?

"Our employer is irrelevant at the moment. You will meet him soon enough. I would like to know, however, if your combat prowess is as great as it once was."

The Mandalore's remark yanked her out of her thoughts and she looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"You and I are going to have a bit of a sparring match," the man said, a smile upon his face. "I wish to satisfy my curiosity."

He motioned for the female fox to come and help him remove his armor. Within moments he was out of it, with the exception of his right arm, which remained encased in the silver metal. Sally wondered why he had left that part on. Then she realized that it was because of her own arm. He was trying to keep the battle fair.

His back had been to her as he'd done this, and when he faced her, she couldn't help but gasp. On his chest, in the upper left region of it, were two brutal scars. They were roughly circular, devoid of fur, and fairly large. They were faded with time, though, as if he'd acquired some years in the past. Memories flared, memories of a time when she'd been told a story nearly ten years ago.

"What's your name?" she asked the wolf.

"My name?" He assumed a combat stance, bringing his right arm to the front. "Jaster, Jaster Mereel."

She was so stunned by this revelation that she barely noticed that the clones were backing away, Shysa with one hand firmly upon Saria.

"Make certain you watch this, all of you," Jaster said as he looked around the room, his gaze settling on the one child that looked different. "That goes double for you, Cado."

"Yes, father," the young vulpine said.

Sally took a look at the boy, stared at him good and hard. She looked over at the female Mandalorian that Jaster had been fighting. There could be no mistaking it. The child was hers, and apparently Jaster's as well. She focused on the mother a bit, staring at her. Once again the eyes drew her in. Pale blue, highly unusual for her species.

Reality hit her like a weight, and she knew that if she got out of this, that she'd have to let Derrick know about what, and more importantly, who she'd seen here.

Then she snapped back, brought her fists up, prepared to defend herself. She was grateful for the fact that she'd never abandoned the rigorous physical training that she'd put herself through during the war, without it, she doubted she would have lasted more than a few seconds against Jaster.

He circled her, his muscles pulsing underneath his fur. He was agile, and cunning. She knew what it was that he was trying to do. He was watching her stance, keeping an eye out for any weakness that she might show. Mandalorian to the core, apparently, study a foe, study them hard, until you knew what they were going to do before they even did. Well, two could play at that game.

He was larger than her, and stronger without a doubt. From the way he moved, he also wasn't too slow, either. Sally would have to be fleet of foot and clever to beat him at this.

With that, she decided to start it off on her terms. She rushed towards him, cocked her right fist back and let fly. Jaster moved to block the robotic limb, but at the last moment, the girl yanked it back, ducked down, and spun around. Her right foot came out, prepared to sweep the wolf right off of his feet. He leaped over it with ease though, and brought his armored fist down towards her head.

The princess back flipped out of the way, cursing for a moment that her hair wasn't tied back. It was impeding her vision. Still, she had enough time to clear it from her eyes as she backpedaled away from the Mandalore. She would wait for him to come to her this time, force him to reveal some of his secrets, his tactics, his moves.

He did so in earnest, pressing what appeared to be an advantage. Sally ducked beneath a vicious right cross, and the rolled backwards to avoid getting a kneecap planted into her face. As she did, she sprang up from the ground, and planted both of her boots into Jaster's chest. She aimed one for the center, right below his sternum, while the other she planted into one of his scars. The former knocked him backwards and caused a grunt of pain to come from him. The latter twisted him slightly from the impact, but didn't appear to cause any discomfort.

Was it possible that the damage done to him by Sergeant Tinian all those years ago had taken away his ability to feel pain there?

She landed on her feet, and drove at the timber wolf. She had to keep him off balance and unable to retaliate. She punched twice. He was able to dodge her right upper cut, but her left hook caught him just under the jaw. His head twisted, but he stayed up and she saw his leg coming at her from the side. She ducked underneath it and heard the air whose over her head as it past within a hairsbreadth of her.

Jaster had anticipated this, and came up again, trying to avoid her retaliatory counter sweep. The two of them met again as soon as they were back upright.

The princess leaned back out of the way of his armored fist as he tried to plant it into her stomach. She grabbed the wrist as it passed, clamping down with her cybernetic limb while thrusting her left palm into his elbow, pushing his arm in a direction it was not meant to bend. To her surprise though, her grip did not crush his wrist, and if he felt any discomfort from the position his arm was in, he hid it well. In the next split second, he lashed out with his left arm. She let go and jumped back. Her eyes watched Jaster intently for his next move.

It would never come though.

The door she had entered through burst open and a soldier walked in. It was a male, and Sally noticed that his armor was similar to that of the Death Watchmen and the 'Cuy'val Dar' that had been responsible for her and Saria's capture. However, the plating didn't appear quite as, fancy, for lack of a better term. His helmet also lacked the distinctive ridges that theirs had.

"What is it?" Jaster asked, though he kept his eyes upon the princess.

"His Excellency wishes to let you know that he'll be ready to see the prisoners in a few minutes," the unnamed soldier said with a salute.

Jaster relaxed his stance and motioned for the squad that had brought her in.

"Return them to their cells," he said, his eyes staring at hers.

Did she see sympathy in them?

"You fought well, though our battle was brief," the Mandalore said as she walked by him. Again he extended his hand.

Not knowing what else to do, she took it. Sympathy was definitely in his eyes this time, along with something she couldn't quite make out. Pity, maybe? What was that he knew that she did not?

It didn't help her nerves in the slightest. Still, her mind realized that she was about to get a chance to meet the head of this little operation. He was probably thinking himself safe and secure within his own base. As a result, he might be careless.

A smile, grim and determined, formed on her face once again as she realized that if this was the perfect opportunity to decapitate whatever was going on here. If she could take him out, it might cause enough chaos for her and Saria to be able to escape.

Already a plan was forming in her mind.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, stopping there. Yes, yes, I know, you're probably ready to hurt me all very badly right now. However, I have college papers I have to get to, so sorry.

As per usual, advice, feedback, constructive criticisms, ideas, etc and so forth, are all welcomed with open arms.

Until next time, have a great day, folks.


	7. Face Off, Part One

Okay people, sorry about this one being a little late. Things have been rather hectic lately, and I'm slightly under the weather at the moment. Still, I hope my problems haven't affected the quality of this chapter too badly, though I do have a sinking feeling about certain parts of it.

As always, those of you who read it, I hope you enjoyed it very much. Those of you who reviewed, I hope I was able to answer your questions adequately, and that you find this one to your liking.

Oh yes, just so you all know. I had a bit of a light bulb moment, and Sonic's appearance has been tweaked just a bit. You can check out the changes back in chapter one.

Lawyers: insert generic disclaimer of your choice here.

* * *

&

* * *

Face-off, Part One

They stopped in a small patch of woods. Sonic parked his bike and got off. Bunnie was all too eager to copy him, and stretched as she'd dismounted, popping her back in several places as she did so.

She looked at the armored hedgehog, wondered what was going on behind that helmet that he was wearing. What was he thinking? What was his next move? To her surprise, he reached into a supply pack on the side of the TX, and pulled out a couple of small explosives. Without hesitation, he slapped them on the side of the machines.

"What the world are you doing, Sugar-Hog?" she asked as she grabbed him by the shoulder.

"We won't be taking these home, and I don't want to leave behind any evidence that these guys could trace and figure out where I'm hiding," he said, looking up at her. "It's just like Knothole, except I'm on my own."

"Exactly what have you been doing?" she asked as she started to collect her weapons.

"Trying to feck up their war effort for the past four years," he growled as he slung the jackhammer across his back. "I've taken out convoys, slaughtered training patrols, and nuked an entire base off the face of the planet. Exactly what I was supposed to do, as per my training."

"You did what?" she exclaimed at the last statement.

"I know, horrifying, isn't it?" he asked her as he double checked his equipment. "The thought of taking a life used to make me sick to my stomach and now… now here I am, I've killed tens of thousands, and it's like… like I've become numb to it all. And you wondered why I never came back."

"When did you… when…" The rabbit couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

"Independence Day of this year. You probably didn't pick it up, though, they're very good at hiding their bases," he answered as he looked over to her again. "It's war, Bunnie," he said, his voice hard and filled with steel, "it's not like the war you fought. Swat Bots don't bleed, they don't scream in pain, they don't… die. I don't like it, but every one of them that I do kill, is one less threat to you, to Sally and Saria, to Mobius as a whole."

"Who's 'they?'" Bunnie asked, not entirely sure what to make of the new revelations that she kept hearing form her old friend.

"The Neo-Crusaders are what they call themselves. They're Mandalorians, well, sort of," he said.

Bunnie had been strapping a knife to her boot when he'd said that. She paused, and looked up at him, a look of absolute disbelief upon her face.

"Just be sure you shoot to kill," was the answer he gave her. "For now though, we're going to wait an hour or two for the sun to go down, I don't want to try infiltrating the base in broad daylight. When we do go in, it'll be fast, so don't fall behind me."

Bunnie remained silent, still trying to figure the man in front of her out. Gone now was any trace of the happy go lucky hedgehog that had grown up along side her. He was… cold now, emotionless, almost. And yet… and yet when he had been there with Saria…

What was he now?

Her silent question went unanswered.

* * *

They had only been in their cell for a few minutes when the door hissed open. Sally rose up, putting herself between Saria and whoever it was. Much to her surprise, there were no guards, no heavily armored soldiers. Instead, it was a single person. A dark robe covered him from head to toe, hiding his face. However, what startled the princess most what just how tall he was, at least a good five or six inches beyond her own.

He stepped inside, but said nothing, and Sally had the distinct impression that she was being measured up. She felt Saria squeeze in behind her, clutching close to her mother. She couldn't blame the girl. There was something about this person that just felt… dark, threatening.

"Ahhh, so this is what you look like in person," the man said.

His voice was rough, deep, and something about it made her hair stand on end.

"Who are you and what do you want with us?" she asked as she took her fear and buried it.

If she could get him off guard, they might be able to get out of here.

"You are as beautiful as I imagined," the man continued, ignoring her. "Now I see why my brother is so taken with you." His head move slightly so that he could around her. "And this is the product of your union." He paused. "Interesting," he muttered to himself, "so it can be passed on."

Sally said nothing, but her eyes widened. This situation was becoming more surreal by the minute. Brother, product of a union. He was talking about Sonic. Then that meant…

"Murai," she gasped, taking a step back away from the being in front of her, memories flashing within her mind.

His body language changed in a flash. He went from calm to seething with rage.

"I don't answer to that name!" he snarled, and took a step towards her. "That is the name of a slave, of a weapon that your father ordered be made to fight his enemies! My name, the name you will address me as, is Shadow!"

His rage was palpable, almost borderline derranged, and a combination of fear for Saria and hope that she could use it against him caused her to act. The girl lunged forward, rearing back with her right fist, preparing to smash it into his head. Simple enough, she had thought. Knock him down, take him out, escape.

However, to her surprise, she suddenly stopped in mid leap, hovering in the air, her fists cocked back. She looked around her, her eyes darted about. What was going on? How was this possible? She hadn't seen any type of security field emitters within this room.

Then she saw it. Shadow's right hand. It was palm side up, facing her, his fingers slightly spread. He bent them a little bit, and then agony surged through her. If felt like someone had thrown her into a room where the walls were designed to close in and crush a person. The pain was unlike anything she had felt before, not since Norrack and sliced her arm open nearly a decade ago.

"Naughty girl, I expected you would try something like that," he sniggered. "Does it hurt very much?"

"Go, to, hell!" she spat, fighting the urge to cry out, refusing to show fear in front of the ARC.

Suddenly the hold upon her was gone, and she crashed to the floor. The impact knocked what little air was left in her from her lungs. She took a deep breath and glared up at the man above her, her eyes aglow with fury and wrath. He got down on a knee, looking directly at her, his face cloaked in darkness.

"Now then, are you going to behave?" he asked, his tone chiding.

Her response was another swing at him. He caught the blow, however, and the next thing that Sally knew, she was up in the air again. Invisible fingers had found their way to her throat, and she couldn't breathe. Still, she glared down at him, tried to keep the instinctive panic that threatened to overwhelm her under control.

"Still defiant, eh?" He cocked his head to one side as he stood up. A gesture and she was down in his face. "Oh, now I truly begin to understand what little brother saw in you."

Her vision was growing dark, what little she could see was swimming around. Vaguely, she thought she heard Saria cry out, and try to do something. She heard a thump and a yelp, though, and tried to cry out. Her daughter was getting hurt by this man and she couldn't do a thing.

"No!" she growled.

She was aware of a distinct feeling of weightlessness, before she hit the ground again. She opened her eyes, trying to see Saria. She had to know what had happened to her, how she'd been hurt. She was also trying desperately to get some air past her windpipe. Her lungs heaved, and she rolled over trying to find her daughter.

The younger princess lay in a heap off to one side, next to one of the walls. Her eyes were closed, but her breathing appeared to be steady.

She felt a hand around her neck, a real hand, and found her gaze forcibly twisted back around. Once more she found herself staring at the hooded enigma in front of her. Something happened, then, something she couldn't understand. It was a spike of pain in the back of her head, and she saw memories surfacing.

Memories of Knothole, of her friends, and of Sonic. The time they'd spent growing up, walks they'd taken together, the jokes he'd told her, the times they'd bailed one another out of a jam. Then came the memories of the one night they'd spent together. The memory was normally a one that she would recall when she thought of him, and though brief, it served to remind her of the love they'd shared. But this time… this time something felt wrong about it.

"Interesting," she heard a distant voice murmur.

Weakly, she blinked, and Shadow came back into focus. He had moved in slightly closer to her.

It was him; somehow, he was doing this. He was inside of her head.

"Get out!" she tried to scream, but the pain became a blinding agony, like someone had sunk a vibro blade into her head and was slowly scraping away at her brain.

"How did it feel to have my brother touch you like that?" he asked, and she could hear the smile upon his face. "I always wondered…"

He pulled her up with a single arm, and the next thing she felt was revulsion as their lips met.

Her eyes went wide, and she let out a muffled scream of rage, driving away the pain. Instinct took over, and before she could even think, she'd balled her right fist up and let fly. Apparently, Shadow was too distracted to notice, as he made no move to stop her.

He was brought back to reality by a cybernetic fist slamming into the side of his skull.

There was a metallic bonging noise as he went flying to one side and landed in a heap. Sally fell to the floor again, grateful that the pain was gone, that he was no longer in her mind. She glared over at him, her rage swift in its return. She was shocked, though, by what she saw.

The hood that had hid Shadow's face had fallen back, and now she that could see him her eyes widened in surprise. First of all she was startled that he was he was alive and still alert. That blow, powered by her artificial limb, should have either crushed his skull or knocked him clean out. The second was his face. It was covered in strange scars, which seemed to follow a pattern that almost reminded her of eight jagged bolts of lighting streaming away from the center and wrapping around the sides of his head.

Then there were his eyes. They were solid white, seemingly devoid of pupils. One might think him blind at first glance. However, she knew that he was looking right at her.

"Defiant till the end, eh?" he growled as he rose to his feet. "I should have expected that from you."

He flicked his wrist, and then Sally was aware of a distinct cracking pain in the side of her skull as it hit the wall and she slid to the ground. She groaned and stared up at her antagonist, a defiant glare in her azure eyes. She tried to rise to her feet again, but another gesture and she was knocked back down.

"What do you want?" she growled as she tried to ignore her aching body.

"What do I want?" he echoed, before kneeling down in front of her again. "I want what I am due, that is all, princess. Nothing more, nothing less."

"And what are you due?" the ground squirrel asked, the defiant scowl still upon her visage.

"The stewardship of this world, for one thing," he said with a dark laugh. "I am superior to your kind, and as such, should logically be in charge of this planet. Rather ironic when you think about it," he mused suddenly, looking up towards the roof, though she could tell that he was keeping a good eye upon her, "I was created to serve you, serve your father, when it should be him serving me."

He reached out, and placed a palm alongside her cheek. It was something that Sonic had done years ago. The mockery of the man she'd loved enraged her further, and she lashed out. In a single blurred movement he'd twisted away and caught her fist again.

"Such spirit, you're a regular wildcat, aren't you?" he chuckled. "It'll be fun trying to tame you." There was a beeping noise from his wrist, and he shook the sleeve of his robe back and looked at some manner of readout. His face became twisted with an irritated frown. "Unfortunately, business before pleasure, my dear."

He stood up and backed away from her, though she took some comfort in the fact that he didn't turn his back upon her.

"See you again soon," he said with a bow and a mocking smile, as the door hissed shut behind him.

She rushed over to where Saria was, desperate to find out if her daughter was okay. She sighed in relief as she found her breathing to be normal. Gently, she rocked the little girl back to full consciousness. As the younger princess slowly started to come around, Sally gave the door of their cell a hateful glare, using that rage to distract herself form the large bruise she felt swelling up on the side of her face.

They needed to get out of here, and they needed to do it fast.

She knew one thing, though. If Shadow or anyone else tried to harm Saria again, she would kill them where they stood, his strange… powers be damned.

* * *

Like a pair of shadows, they moved around inside of the fortress.

Bunnie, quite frankly, had been amazed with what she'd seen. The base had at first appeared to be your standard, nondescript mountain. However, that had turned out to be a cleverly used hologram generator, as Sonic had explained to her.

Now that they had snuck in past the barrier, she could see a sprawling industrial complex before her. Buildings and what appeared to be factories were everywhere, with patrols of some manner of battle droids going everywhere. They resembled Swat Bots, but they were leaner, more skeletal in appearance, and their wrist blasters looked far nastier than those trash compactors' ever had.

"Thought you said they were Mandos, Son—Norrack," she caught herself in time. If they were going to bail Sally and Saria out of this, she didn't want to let his true identity slip at an awkward moment.

"The real army is still training. Those tin cans are just sentries," he said from his position a few feet in front of her. "Good for us, they're easier to dupe and evade than organics."

The ARC trooper proved to be supremely qualified at dodging the patrols of the machines and as she followed him through the maze that this place was, Bunnie couldn't help but feel slightly nostalgic. It was like old times, sneaking through Robotropolis. Only now their mission was to save, rather than to destroy. The cybernetic rabbit found her mind drifting to the one other thing that made this mission different from the rest: they would likely be engaging living, flesh and blood soldiers rather that just Swat Bots. She had to remind herself of the stakes, of her best friend and her niece that were trapped in here. Otherwise, she didn't know if she would have the strength to pull the trigger on her carbine if the choice came.

Sonic suddenly raised a fist and went down to a knee. The rabbit came up behind him as he put two fingers to his helmet and bowed his head. She cocked an eyebrow, not sure what to make of what the cyborg was doing now. She was about to ask what was going on when he suddenly rose back up and motioned for her to follow him again.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Little something I've picked up over the years," he said as they rounded a corner and came up past the darkened alleyways that ran by what appeared to be the main building, a massive, several dozen story tall structure.

There was a steel grating in front of them, just wide enough for them to crawl through. Sonic knelt down in front of it, though he did not reach out in front of it.

"Give me Nicole, this is where I need her," he said, and he reached back over his shoulder.

Bunnie quickly complied, and gave him the little AI. He flipped her open and turned her on. For some moments, the diminutive supercomputer remained silent, as if she didn't know what to make of the armored warrior that was now holding her in the palm of his left hand.

"What's up, Norrack," she said after a time, her tone surprisingly calm.

"Not alarmed? Good," Sonic muttered.

"Bunnie informed me of the situation en route to your original rendezvous. I'm somewhat surprised myself, but considering the circumstances I believe the phrase is: desperate times call for desperate measures," she responded. "What do you need?"

"These grates have motion alarms on them, as well as infrared," the cyborg told her. "I need for you to run a feedback loop and trick them out so we can sneak in. Should be within your capabilities. Check around, there should be some passive scanners that you can hack."

"Scanning now, Norrack," she said, various signals and signs flashing across her screen. "Sensors deactivated, now or never."

In a flash the screen had been taken off and the ARC trooper was down on his knees, the jackhammer being pushed in front of him the whole while. Bunnie was right behind him, diving through.

They continued onward fro a few minutes, before Sonic abruptly stopped and lay still. Behind him, Bunnie saw that he had his fingers on his temple again, and she wondered what exactly he was doing. Still, she remained silent.

A frown came over Sonic's face as he tried to sense where they were. There was so much life here it made feeling anything specific, difficult at best. Still, he was grateful that his sibling hadn't really practiced this particular power very much and that meant that he could pretty much 'move about' with impunity.

Then he felt them. Sally was a mix of emotions, most of them rage and the iron hard determination that he remembered so well. Saria was with her. Strangely, though, he felt amusement from her. There weren't alone, either. There was a third person with them. He focused, and then a smile creased his face. He knew who it was, and suddenly understood his daughter's peculiar emotion.

* * *

It was about fifteen minutes later that their next visitor had arrived, thinking that Shadow had returned for a sadistic round two, Sally got to her feet, her eyes narrowed and ready to tear the black hedgehog's throat out.

However, what walked through the door was a fairly diminutive person, rather than the hulking, robed figure of her previous antagonist. She stared at him, at his pale, furless skin and his cold, grey eyes. It took a moment or two for her to finally realize who he was, mostly because she didn't recognize him with the crop of slicked back hair that was upon his head and the fancy, caped uniform that he was wearing. However, the nose was a dead giveaway.

"Snivley!" she growled, clenching her fists again, getting ready to spring towards the little man.

In a flash, he had a pistol out and pointed at her.

"The name is Jonathan, princess!" he said with sneer, looking her over, and her daughter. "I see my boss wasn't kidding when he said that you and the hedgehog had been busy with one another."

"I'd always wondered where you'd disappeared to. From being one would-be tyrant's lackey to another, you haven't changed much, inside at least," Sally retorted as she kept her eyes upon the gun.

It all made sense now. How Shadow had gotten his hands on all of these clones. Snivley, more than anyone else except for Uncle Chuck, probably knew how the process worked and had had access to the ARC files. And now he had shown up here to try and mock her. Well, if he expected her to grovel before him in fear, then he had another thing coming.

"Shadow treats me far better than my uncle ever did, my dear," the little man said, his mouth twitching up in a smirk as he ran his free hand through his hair. "Less than I can say for you, if your face is any indication. Or did you let him do that? I mean, he is basically a carbon copy of that old rodent, and I suppose it has been a while for you." He suddenly snapped the gun back at her again, for she had tensed up.

"Keep insulting Sonic's memory like that and I'll make certain you don't live long enough to regret it, Jonathan," the ground squirrel said, her eyes narrowed and the cold flames burning within them again. "Are you jealous of the fact that he was a free soul, while you were, and still are, little more than a glorified slave? Is that it? New package, same product?"

"I am no slave!" he snarled, taking a step towards her. "And if you think that your besotted boyfriend wasn't one then let me tell you something—"

Whatever it was that the little man had been planning on telling her was lost in that instant, as he had made a dangerous mistake. In his anger, he'd forgotten rule number one of a situation like this: never take your gun off of your target. It wasn't much of a slip up, the barrel was only pointed away from the princess for a moment, but that moment was all she needed. She snapped out, her robotic hand closing around the Overlander's wrist. A squeeze and that wrist became so many bone fragments.

Crying out, the little man went down to his knees and dropped his gun. Sally caught it, and brought the butt end of the weapon across his face twice, flipped it around and planted a round into his kneecap, and then threw him into the wall in less than four seconds. With a moan that sounded just as it had those years ago when one of his plans had been foiled, he slid to the floor, his head dropped down into his chest, his hair all askew.

Saria simply stared in disbelief and amusment. Considering all the tales that she'd heard about this man, for she knew who he was, he certainly went down easily. Her mother, however, did not waste any time.

"Come on, Saria, we've got to go!" she said, motioning for her to follow her.

They were out the door the next moment, with Sally's eyes constantly darting about. There were no guards in sight. Apparently Shadow was so confident of them being kept in the cell that he hadn't bothered with much security. For a fleeting instant, she'd been tempted to gun Snivley down while he was out cold. She'd shaken the notion from her head a moment later. Tempting as it was, she'd probably need every shot that was in the pistol before it was all over with, and her daughter's safety was top priority.

She headed down the hallway. If this place was built anything like the facilities back in Robotropolis, then there would be some elevators nearby that would be able to get them to a hangar. She didn't know much about the drop ship that they'd been taken in, but she pinned her best hopes on being able to sneak one of them out.

* * *

The two droids heard it, a slight tapping noise. They looked at each other, and with unspoken consent, moved towards the sound. They rounded a corner, and saw a pipe rolling along the length of the floor. In an instant, their integral blasters were raised up and their photoceptors scanning about.

They saw it an instant too late, a blur of movement coming down in front of them. They never even had time to call in the disturbance before one of them was practically split in half by a pair of razor edged vibro claws and a combat grade ferrosteel knife cut through the mother board of the other. They would have gone down in a heap if they hadn't been grabbed by the blur, and then gently lowered to the ground.

"The place is clear for another five minutes," he said, looking up at her.

"You've timed these patrols?" Bunnie asked as she dropped down out of the vent shaft.

"Yes, they're never changed for some reason, I'm certain to the Mandalore's dismay," he said.

"I can't understand why you've never tried to take care of this problem from the top, you know, the whole cut of the head and the body dies type deal," she said softly as she repositioned the jackhammer on her back. "I mean, if it's only a Mandalore, I thought ARC's were specifically made with Mandalorians in mind."

"Because the Mandalore's not the one calling the shots," the cyborg growled. "And for the record, I have tried decapitation techniques, several times. I've failed every time and just barely managed to limp back to Stonehenge with my tail between my legs. And that's because he let me go."

"Who's he?" the rabbit inquired as they moved forward, heading towards a turbo lift.

"My brother," Sonic answered as he pressed a button and summoned the lift.

"What?" she exclaimed, her eyes going wide.

"You heard me." He stepped onto the elevator, but did not press a floor button. "Hmmm," he muttered.

"What is it?"

"I can't get a good lock on where they are…" he looked over to her and went down on his knees again. "If anything happens, elevator moving, doors opening, shout really loudly."

"Why?" she asked, but got no response.

Sonic wasn't exactly home anymore.

Stepping outside of his physical shell the entire world looked to be a blurry distortion. He looked down, saw his body, and Bunnie next to it, a frown upon her face. Without wasting a second, he moved himself upwards. It was a simple matter of will to move like this, and the boundaries of the tangible world, for all practical purposes, no longer existed.

He was a wraith now, a creature of another plane, almost.

Sonic floated up through the many ceilings and floors until he was in the region where he had last sensed his soul mate and daughter. It was a holding cell, but the door was open. He moved in, and saw Snivley sprawled down on the floor, and his two targets nowhere in sight. A smirk came over his face. Sal was already out and about, just like old times.

Still, his job was now slightly more complicated by the fact that the two of them were moving around. Plus, that gun she was carrying, judging by the empty holster on Snivley's waist, would do precisely squat to the dura-armor that the Clones wore.

He sped out of the room, flying through obstacles, his mind constantly reaching out, feeling for that familiar sensation, the pulsing of their own minds, the feeling of their own souls.

He found them readily enough, as a couple of downed sentry droids made it easy to locate their trail.

They were on the same floor, but were several hundred meters away from the cell. Sally had her back to the wall, Snivley's pistol clutched firmly in her hands. Slowly, she started edging around, making certain that the coast was clear. He could already tell that it was, so he couldn't help but move in just a little closer and try to get a better look at her and Saria.

She stiffened suddenly, and started staring around, her eyes narrowing and a glare coming into them that he remembered her using only when she was filled with righteous anger.

"Afraid to come out and face me yourself, Shadow?" she growled, her voice sounding distorted, as if spoken during a fierce windstorm.

She was reacting to him, he realized. She sensed that he was near. He'd started wonder how for a moment, before he ran her challenge through his head again. Shadow had paid her a visit, obviously. Sonic couldn't help but shudder, and as he took a closer look at her, he saw the large bruise on the side of her face, visible even under her fur.

Rage overcame him, split through him like a thunderbolt. Still, he backed off. Revenge could come later, and truthfully, he'd rather not face Shadow again if he could avoid it. The sociopathic bastard might have hurt the woman he loved, but he was no good to Sally dead.

He recognized the format of the hallway they were in. Not to far from their own location, though they were about fifty stories higher. He released his hold upon his concentration, and the world blurred past him as if he'd been bungee jumping and the cord had suddenly snapped back.

Two seconds later he was standing up in the turbo lift next to Bunnie, who gave him a curious look.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

"Took a look around," the ARC trooper said, before reaching out and pressing the appropriate floor button.

As smooth as everything had been going thus far, he knew it wasn't going to last much longer. Thus, he was not surprised when an alarm started blaring all over the base.

"Fierfek," he muttered.

* * *

As soon as the klaxons began to wail, Sally knew that their cover was blown. They had to get to of here and fast. The pistol clutched in her hands, she began dashing down the corridors, calling for Saria to keep up. The little girl had no problem in complying.

It was less than forty five seconds before she made contact with the enemy. She heard them coming from around a corner, and motioned for her daughter to stay back and get down on the floor.

She wasn't certain how many there were, but their steps were quiet, but at the same time, rhythmic and almost perfectly in sync with one another. Droids, probably, she thought to herself. She licked her lips, and felt the adrenaline start to hit her system, the funny, tingling sensation that came with the knowledge that she was about to fight for her life again.

Unknown to her, though, was that her foes were not droids, but a squadron of Clones. Ten of them all together, their rifles out and set to stun.

"Motion sensor just picked something up, doesn't match one our transponders," one of them said.

"That's our quarry then," the squad leader concluded. "62, 87, move forward get ready to surprise them. 05, watch our backs. Every else, spread out and get ready to lay down fire if they get this far."

The orders were carried out seamlessly. Two of the white armored troopers slowly advanced while the rest spread out across the hallway, some going to their knees and others to their bellies in order to avoid getting each others' fire vectors.

Their quarry struck first.

Sally partially exposed herself, leaning out from around the corner and popping off a shot. It hit one of the Clones in the head, but some carbon scoring was all that resulted from the shot. Blue tinted stunning bolts streaked down the corridor, barely missing the elder princess as she dove back behind cover.

She dropped to a crouch and repeated the maneuver. The first shot was wide, the second one hit the Clone dead in the chest. Though the pistol kicked hard against her hand, the crimson tinted bolt that it spat didn't even seem to irritate the target, and the retaliatory shot nearly clipped her cheek.

She looked down at the readout on the gun. Twelve shots left before the clip was empty, and Snivley hadn't had a reload on his person. They'd stopped firing, and she could faintly hear a pair of footsteps as they drew closer. Sally tried to think of a way out of this predicament. She had a dozen shots left for a weapon that wasn't even bothering them and there weapons, from what she'd seen…

Their weapons. That was it! She had to get her hands on one of those rifles they carried. Steeling herself, she flipped the pistol around in her hand and poised herself to use it like a crude club.

Gunfire suddenly erupted from around the corner. Scores of burst shots rang out in seconds. Purple tinted bolts streaked past where she and Saria were hiding, vaporizing large chunks of the metal wall and sending shards of white hot fragments flying everywhere. Instinctively, Sally leapt on top of her daughter, shielding Saria with her body, while she wondered what was going on.

* * *

The attack had come swiftly. 05 had noticed the motion on his sensors and had realized that it wasn't one of theirs.

"Contact, elevator!" he shouted. Then he saw the blur. "It's the _Kyr'am Kal_!"

His comrades had pivoted about and switched their guns up to maximum firepower by the time the first part of the term had left 05's mouth. Even so, the speed still caught them off guard. Seventy Seven took five rounds to the chest and staggered backwards before a sixth overwhelmed his armor and flash fried his innards within the opening second.

The Neo-Crusader response was swift and decisive. Bursts of automatic blaster fire filled the corridor, ripping holes in the metal and filling the hallway with acrid smoke within seconds.

The blur moved back and forth, sending the energy bursts flying back towards the Clones. Another one went down as a result of this, her chest shattered and her armor smoking.

Sonic winced as a five shot burst hit the wall next to him, sending shrapnel into his shields. The Clones were learning quickly, he gave them that much. They were shooting around him, letting the environmental destruction chip away at his shields rather than risk him tossing their shots back at them.

The ARC trooper fired another burst, his weapon's barrels alternating in their fire, as he rushed towards the soldiers. The pulses hit one of the Clones in the chest, and blew him backwards into the wall. He hit it and slide down, the putrid stench of burnt flesh filling the air.

They were adjusting their aim, more and more firepower coming in around him, and his shields were dropping faster than they could recharge. He was already down to fifty percent, and there were still eight of them left. With a growl, he thrust his left hand out. The closest four were blown off of their feet and skidded along the ground.

He leveled his caster and let fly again, mowing down another two troopers. However, the ones that he'd knocked down were already getting back up or remaining prone on the ground and taking aim at him. The cybernetic hedgehog whipped his blades about, swatting their shots away and sending his own after them. A pair of bolts hit him, and his shields dropped another fifteen percent. A fifth and sixth Clone were finally dropped by his shoulder mounted weapon when one of them reached down to their belt and while still shooting at him, lobbed a thermal detonator down the hallway.

His eyes widened behind the viewing screen of his helmet and he gestured to the device, before violently yanking his arm towards himself. The cylindrical grenade arced up off of the ground and bounced several meters down the hallway behind him before it exploded. Even then, he felt the shockwave and the heat from the detonation.

He charged the remaining four, his caster taking number seven down as his swords deflected the energy beams away from himself, finally allowing his shields to recharge. Sonic was able to start wearing down the armor of the eighth one as he got into melee range with them, but they quickly dropped their guns and pulled out their vibro blade zhabokas as he did so.

It was a furious battle as blade clashed upon blade. However, though the Clones were skilled in both close and long range combat, they could not match him, not with only three and as such they were soon lying in heaps on the ground, missing arms and heads.

He sheathed his blades, and wondered what to do next. Sally and Saria were around that corner, and while his daughter might have known that he was no threat to them, the holder of his heart did not.

Fate seemed fond of torturing him lately, as the elder princess carefully stuck her head around the corner in the next instant. She saw him; he knew it by the way that the pistol in her hand leaped up. Without pausing to think, he deactivated his cloak, trying to reveal himself to be unarmed at the moment and having no intentions of threatening her.

The mental warning came too late for him, his mind was clouded at the moment, unable to process properly, and he took the bolt straight to his face as a result. Fortunately, they had fully recharged and the weapon she was using wasn't very powerful compared to what the Clones had been packing. The shield gauge only dropped by a sliver when it hit.

He jumped up and dodged the two shot burst she snapped off, before he landed on the wall and leaped across the corridor to avoid another pair. He had to rinse and repeat a few times, but her gun was soon empty.

Sonic let out a sigh of relief as he heard the trigger being pulled and nothing coming of it. He slowly walked towards Sally, letting his eyes roam over her. Anger flashed in her eyes as she dropped the pistol and balled her fists up. Together with her crimson hair and hardened expression the glare made her look like some sort of divine judicator. Despite the rage, the hedgehog found himself lost in those eyes, as he had been lost so many times before.

For a moment, he was tempted to remove his helmet, to let her know that he was still alive.

Reality was swift to crush him a moment later, as his eyes focused on her cybernetic arm once again. The wound that he had caused, the permanent mark that he had left upon her.

Movement caught his eye and he looked to see that Saria had stuck her head around the corner. Her green eyes widened as she saw the bodies, and the ARC trooper couldn't help but wince as he realized that she was being exposed to death at such an age. Chalk up another failure for him.

"Stay back, Saria!" Sally warned, though she kept her eyes fixed upon the cyborg in front of her.

She didn't understand it. How was he here? How? He had died, she had killed him! She was paralyzed by the impossible, so much so that she didn't even think to try and grab a rifle and fire at him.

Much to her surprise, the ARC trooper spoke a moment later.

"Enemy presence terminated, you can come out now." He said the words as he looked over his shoulder.

The elevator that he had emerged from opened and out of it stepped the last person that Sally would have expected.

"Sally-girl!" Bunnie exclaimed as she rushed towards her best friend.

The elder princess let out a gasp as the cybernetic rabbit wrapped her arms around her and took her in a fierce embrace. Tentatively, not entirely sure if she was hallucinating or not, the ground squirrel returned the gesture.

She noticed that her daughter was moving slowly towards the large, armored figure that stood stock still in the middle of the corridor, bodies of his fallen foes around his feet. Her eyes widened as her daughter reached the cyborg, and threw her arms around his waist.

She was shocked, outraged, and confused all at once. What in the Goddess' name was going on here? Norrack then reached down and in a manner that could have been nothing but affectionate, ruffled Saria's hair, only adding to the un-believability of the moment.

"Sally, what happened to your face?"

Bunnie's voice yanked her back to reality, and she once again became aware of the dull throbbing that was on one side of her face. She placed her hand up to it again, and winced momentarily. It had grown a little more sensitive over the past few minutes.

"It was Shadow, right?" Norrack said, drawing her eyes to him.

"Yes."

There was silence for a moment. Then he looked down at Saria again. Carefully, he untangled himself from her, and then went to the bodies of the Clones. He started grabbing what he could off of them, pistols, rifles, and ammo packs, before passing them out to the two girls. Bunnie gaped as she looked at the large weapon. It was one of the 'jurkadirs' that Sonic had back at Stonehenge

"We need to get out of here before he decides to pay us a personal visit. Follow me; I know the way out of here. Use the pistols, the rifles operate differently from normal weapons and you'll be in for a nasty surprise if you try to use one improperly."

He was off in a flash after that, his blades out and his caster activated.

* * *

They came to a trio of service lifts after a couple more minutes. The ARC trooper quickly moved forward and pressed the summon button, and then had to resist the urge to impatiently tap his foot.

The others were coming up behind him when he felt it, a faint prickle in the back of his head, and a whisper, sinister and evil, within his mind. It sent a spike of emotion through him, an emotion that he always felt when _he_ was nearby: fear.

"_Welcome back, little brother."_

* * *

_&_

* * *

Okay, hope you all found that to your liking. Things are going to be a little hectic for the next week or so, as I've got a test on Monday, and three big papers due over the next couple of weeks. I might be a little late with the next update as a result.

As usual, any and all feedback appreciated,


	8. Face Off, Part Two

Hello again, everyone, good to see you after this time. School's been hell. I've spent the past several hours of last two days in the writing lab getting my term papers together. The good news is that my efforts have been rewarded, to are finished, and the third nears completion.

At any rate, thank you once again to all who have read this story. To those of you who have reviewed, I hope that I have answered your questions adequately.

Lawyers: you know the drill by now, I shouldn't have to explain it once again. Cripes.

* * *

&

* * *

Face Off, Part Two

The klaxon had come swiftly and roused Jaster from his bed like a doomsday alarm. He had leapt out and was over to where his armor was kept within seconds with Brianna right behind him. He'd slept in his body glove, as had she, and within two minutes they were both suited up and tearing out of their room, leaving a yawing Cado behind them to wonder what was going on.

As they entered the hallway, they could see the rest of the group charging out of their person quarters, all of them fully armed and loading their weapons to repulse whatever the threat was.

They arrived at a sector control room within four minutes of the first blare.

"Status and Sit-Rep, now!" the wolf barked, looking over to a younger version of his own face.

"Prisoner escape in sector forty two, Mandalore," the Clone responded. "A patrol found the cell empty and General Kintobor out cold. They called it in immediately and we've already dispatched patrols throughout the sector."

"Snivley? The little fierfeker went into the Princess' cell alone, without armed backup? That di'kut!" He slammed his fist into the wall. "What's the status on the sweeps?"

"Nothing so far sir, but we've—"

"This is patrol leader Gamma-8910, we have contact, repeat contact in corridor Kappa-26!" a voice crackled over the radio.

In a flash, one of the Clones manning the command and control networks had brought up the hallway in question, and Jaster let out a sigh of relief he didn't know that he'd been holding. Failure was his greatest fear, and Snivley had just about brought that to pass. His eyes narrowed behind his silver and blue helmet, and he vowed to have a little chat with the diminutive Overlander once this was all over with.

"Hold the fort here, trooper." He looked the copy dead in the eye. "We'll spread ourselves throughout the area just in case things go wrong. Keep us posted on any updates, _any_."

"Yes sir," the man said with a sharp salute, before returning to his station.

The Death Watchmen and their leader scattered down the different corridors of the base as they sought to rendezvous with various units. Sally's odds of getting past a ten Clone squad were next to none, but they'd spent years fighting under the distant command of the wily girl, and they knew better than to underestimate her capabilities.

Still, when a message crackled over their comm. devices about thirty seconds after they'd split up, they felt dread creeping up in them again.

"Contact, elevator! It's the _Kyr'am Kal!_"

That was their code name for Sonic. Death Blade, it meant in Mando'a, their term for the Grim Reaper.

In the space of a single heartbeat, Jaster knew they were doomed. His Crusaders were trained from birth to fight, could probably school an entire squadron of enemy soldiers by themselves, but against him… against an ARC trooper… he was as far beyond them as they were beyond a normal Mobian. He heard the chaos of the battle over his radio. The Clones fought valiantly, performed exactly how they had been trained. Still, in the end, they fell, went to join their brethren in the halls of their forbearers.

The wolf had kept up his dash through the corridors even during the fight. Bits and pieces of the conversation after the scrap caused him to suddenly pause in his flight.

"What happened to your face?" he heard a new voice, one with a southern accent say.

"It was Shadow, wasn't it?"

The second voice he knew very well indeed and he wondered about the irony of the situation. Sonic had always been something of an enigma to him. He knew of the acts that the man underneath that armor had been forced to do, the atrocities that he had performed from what Snivley had said, had boasted about, and even now, after so many years of knowing, the thought of it still made him want to wretch.

There was battle, and then there was butchery.

From what he'd seen the man appeared haunted by those acts of wanton slaughter. But he still rushed at the Neo-Crusaders with all he had, going so far as to try and turn Gamma Base into a glass crater. Yet, Jaster suspected there was no malice behind it, no hatred, save perhaps towards Shadow. Sonic was like a machine… and yet he was not.

He also frowned as understood the implications of what had happened to the elder princess. How badly had she been hurt by their boss? Had he just smacked her around or had he…

The Mandalore visibly shuddered at that line of thought, and he felt a voice in the back of his head. It was that voice that asked him how he could carry out the will of such a person. He squashed it a moment later. There was more at stake in this game than just the life or well being of either the former guerilla commander or himself. The fate of his entire race was held in the balance here.

"Vode," he spoke into his mike, "they're probably going to head for the hangar, whoever's closest, round up all the squad of troops you can find and get down there now!"

"I'm on it," his wife said over the line.

He rushed to meet his own backup. If Sonic was here, they'd need all the firepower they could muster to take him down.

* * *

The words echoed in his brain, mocking him, causing his cybernetic hands to twitch just slightly. There had been a power behind that sentence, it had caught him off guard, and the force of it caused him to stagger after a moment. A feeling of wooziness went through him, like he had suddenly stood up too fast.

"What's wrong?" Bunnie asked as she instinctively reached an arm out to help him.

Sally cocked her head curiously to one side. It was well known that Bunnie had harbored resentment for what Norrack had done to her, and now here she was assisting him. First her daughter, now Bunnie. There was something going on here.

"He's coming," the ARC trooper said as the turbo lift dinged open in front of them.

He was back upright in an instant, and he reached down to the digital chronometer on Bunnie's wrist. He brought up the timer, and looked her dead in the eyes.

"My suit just picked up a resonance ping," he lied. "It's detecting another Mark IX in the vicinity, and closing fast. Shadow's coming to take care of this himself." He brought the time display up to where everyone could see it. "The hangar's on level twenty seven. Get down there, and grab a drop ship."

"What about you?" the rabbit asked, her head slightly cocked to the right, a look in her eye telling all that she didn't think she would like what she was going to hear next.

"If I'm not there in five minutes, leave without me."

"Wha—"

"Go!" he barked as the door opened behind them.

As Bunnie ushered her friend and niece into the turbo lift, she looked back at the cybernetic hedgehog. His back was to them, his twin blades were out, though he had not yet ignited them. His caster slipped up out of its holster, and he hand his right wrist leveled at the far wall.

She heard it before she saw it, a faint rumble and a high pitched whine that sounded eerily familiar to her. Where had she heard that before? It sounded just like…

…Sonic. Accelerating out of Knothole.

The doors started to hiss shut as it came around the corner, a black blur which moved at speeds that seemed impossible. Ahead of them, Sonic fired his caster and a barrage of small rockets left his wrist mounted weapon.

The blur dodged them with ease, spinning and flipping about.

Bunnie never saw what happened, but as the blur came to a stop some thirty feet in front of her friend, Sonic suddenly flew backwards as if hit by a hovercraft. The doors to the turbo lift closed just as he impacted against them. The force was enough to cause the whole elevator to shake, and a large impression appeared in front of them, causing the three girls to all instinctively take a step back.

They were gone a moment later, the lift rocketing downwards.

* * *

He fired a barrage of energy pulses at the black armored foe in front of him, forcing his brother back while he got to his feet and ignited his blades. He fell inwards upon himself, seeking what bit of a center he could. This battle would be fought on two fronts, one physical, and one mental. Already, he could feel Shadow attempting to probe him, to look one step ahead and try to figure out his next move.

The black hedgehog's own energy swords were out in the next moment. A purple light with a red core reached out from the metal hilts and he simply stood where he was.

Sonic rushed forward, and the four kaiburr weapons met each other milliseconds later. The air reeked of ozone as they smashed together, high and low, slashes and thrusts, each combatant moving in a blur. They had been at it for about four seconds when Shadow suddenly jumped backwards, putting a good twenty feet between the two of them.

His sibling was grateful for the reprieve. It would allow him a few seconds to gather himself, and allow Sally and Saria a few more seconds to put distance between themselves and this monster across the hallway. Ever so slowly, the clock in his HUD ticked away.

"I suppose I should have expected you to come dashing in to save your family, brother," the other ARC said, a small hint of amusement in his tone. "Granted, it seems as though I have underestimated what Sally was capable of. I guess I should have figured it out when she fought me tooth and claw. It was a most enjoyable event, let me tell you."

"Bastard," Sonic growled.

"Ah, aren't the both of us?" Shadow shrugged. "I will tell you this though, she is simply delectable. I think I finally understand you, to a degree. There is something about her that is simply… intoxicating…"

"You don't know a thing about caring for another person." The blue hedgehog said, venom in his voice as he tried to stall for time. If he could keep his brother monologing like this…

"How do you know that you truly care for her, eh, brother? How do you know what you feel isn't just something that was… programmed, into us?" The last bit came out like a poison.

"Because I made my choice in the matter. I chose to love her, and my daughter."

The response he got was a snort.

"And look where those choices have gotten you in life. Deformed, hideously disfigured, and crippled. Still, I would have welcomed you, and what a team we could have been together. We could have been whole at last... both sides of the coin working together for a common cause." He looked upward for a split second. "Now, though, I fear there has been too much done between us for there to be any hope of salvaging the relationship."

"Forgive me if I don't shed tears, brother!"

With that he lunged forward, his curved blades cocked back. Shadow extended his hand, and the air in front of him seemed to waver and distort, before it suddenly burst into white hot fire. That wall sped towards Sonic, who gritted his teeth and raised his arms in front of himself, trying to construct a wall to defend against the hellish onslaught. The impact upon the barrier knocked him backwards, and he desperately tried to concentrate, to hold the attack at bay.

He failed.

The telekinetic wall in front of him shattered. The flames swept in, rushed over him, seemed to mockingly caress his armor. His external temperature gauge suddenly spiked, shooting up off of the charts. He felt a second wall, this one like a physical object, close in around him, trapping him where he was.

He was trapped in that hell for about five seconds before the wall passed and he was released. His shields had been depleted to almost nothing and hydrostatic gel oozed out emergency vents in his armor. Behind him, he could still feel the blistering heat of the fire.

He knew he couldn't let his brother get off another attack like that, or it would be the end of him. He rushed in, his blades cutting complex polygons through the air. Shadow met him blow for blow.

Sonic brought the speed and strength of his cybernetic limbs to bear, as well as the ferocity that came from a parent defending its mate and young. His eyes narrowed to a beady glare behind his visor, and he launched a series of mental assaults to match the ferocity of his blades. They pounded away at the walls in Shadow's mind like a battering ram. The fortress held though, and the blades were blocked.

Shadow suddenly threw his sibling off guard with a ferocious riposte before feinting to the left. Sonic took the bait, and ate a roundhouse that came from what looked to be out of nowhere. He flew backwards and thudded down upon the still uncomfortably warm ferrosteel.

That kick would have killed a normal Mobian, shattered bone and body, leaving a broken corpse behind. Sonic though, encased in armor right down to his very skeleton, flipped back up on his feet and was tearing towards his brother, a war cry upon his tongue as his shields recharged.

Shadow was all too happy to meet him. Back and forth their battle raged. Their kaiburr swords slashed holes in the walls from near misses or expertly deflected blows. There was a strange, dance-like quality to the battle, and one might mistake it for a show if one didn't know any better. It was very real however, and the consequences of screwing up would be quite fatal.

Sonic snapped his right blade around to where it was help like a knife and then brought it up. The strike slipped past Shadow's defenses, and drew a crackling line of energy up the other hedgehog's chest. He followed through, sticking two fingers out and making a sharp gesture towards his twin. The other ARC didn't see it coming in time, and was blown off of his feet.

Though down, his recovery was swift, back on his feet with a single jump and well prepared when his sibling came in.

He brought his left blade up from below and the right one across at shoulder level. Sonic was able to block both of them, but the power from the resulting blade lock was almost enough to disarm him. The quartet of light blades crackled and popped like firecrackers as their masters struggled for supremacy. They gazed at each other from behind their visors, both sets of eyes narrowed in hatred.

Then it happened. A burst of mental energy struck Sonic. It was more than he'd been prepared to deal with at that critical moment, and he cried out in agony, having to use all his willpower not to clutch at his head.

Shadow used that opportunity to slip away, his form little more than a black haze, and the next thing his sibling knew, there was a kaiburr sword stuck through his arm. The force behind the blow had been so great that it had pierced his shields just below his right armpit, and the armor, being somewhat weaker there, also proved to be no match.

His right palm opened and dropped its blade as the primary motivator shorted out. The energy beam disappeared when it hit the ground, the result of a failsafe to prevent the owner from falling on his own weapon and killing himself. He was then slammed into the wall, his sibling's wrist securing his left hand and preventing him from cutting him up.

"Looks like you're oh for six, dear brother," the black hedgehog sneered, his face merely inches away from his twin. "When are you going to learn that you can't beat me?"

"I never was considered smart, you know that."

"Ever the court jester." The darker twin rolled his eyes and released him as he sheathed one of his blades.

Sonic fell to the ground, barely catching himself with his still working left arm. Slowly he looked up at his twin.

"Waiting for me to beg?" he inquired, cocking his head slightly. He looked up at his HUD clock. Three minutes left.

"The thought crossed my mind." The other ARC nodded. "I still cannot fathom why you defend them brother, after what they were going to do to us, after what we were meant to be!" He clenched his fist.

"I could ask you the same thing about the Clones," Sonic growled. "Knowing what we were meant to be, how could you go and create an army of people no different for us, except they've got shorter life spans?"

"Don't you see it?" Shadow sounded bewildered. "An army of Mandalorians, resurrected by a branch off of the very project that was supposed to bring about their demise, and then set loose upon the people who were responsible for both their destruction and for coming up with the means to create them."

"What irony," Sonic mused.

"Poetic justice," the other ARC corrected, holding up an index finger. "And with them, I plan on taking over this miserable little world."

"And where does Sal fit into this?" the wounded sibling asked.

"Every emperor needs a capable empress. I'm certain that once she sees what I could do if she doesn't cooperate—"

"You've made one mistake, though, brother," the blue hedgehog interrupted.

"What's that?" Shadow asked, sounding genuinely confused.

There was a whir as the blue hedgehog's caster came up, followed by a whine as two back to back overcharge shots were fired at the dark twin from point blank range. Shadow was flying backwards at the first connected, and had hit the wall just before the second one did. The power of the energy washed over him, and his shields began to warble an alarm as they dropped to one third power.

"You monologue too much!" he heard as he activated his swords.

Sonic, though, had used the opportunity to reach out and grab his weapons before dashing towards the elevator. Roaring in wounded pride, Shadow felt deep within himself, and then sent a telekinetic wall flying down the length of the corridor. It caught the fleeing ARC as he was about halfway to the turbo lift. It picked him up like he was a rag doll caught in a windstorm and threw him towards his intended destination.

"Oh hell," he muttered.

It was all he had time for as he hit the doors. Weakened by his first impact and the fire blast that had roared up against it a few minutes earlier, they could not put up with the strain of trying to contain him, and he smashed through them. His shields took most of the blow, but there was no elevator waiting for him. As such, gravity took a swift hold on him, and he plunged down out of sight. Within moments he began to bounce off of the vertical tunnel like a loose pinball.

With a thought his claws were out, and he slammed them into the side of the shaft in a desperate bid to right himself. He succeeded, though the initial strain of the move nearly destroyed his sole remaining arm.

Slowly, ever so slowly, he managed to reduce his velocity. However, he was still moving with a considerable amount of speed when he saw the turbo lift come into view. The cyborg braced himself, his teeth grit and his face twisted into a grimace. He hit the top of the elevator hard enough to smash though it and his breath was blasted from his lungs as he hit the floor.

There wasn't enough gel left in his suit to cushion the blow, and he felt as if someone had just dropped a tank on top of him. He wanted to curl up, slip away into oblivion where the pain couldn't reach him. But he knew he couldn't, not if he wanted to get out of here alive.

Getting back up to his feet, he tried to get some air back in as he lurched forward and opened the doors. He ignored the screaming pain in his body, ignored the fact that his arm dangled limply at one side. He had to hurry. He had less than two minutes before Bunnie took off and left him here. In his wounded state he wouldn't last long.

* * *

The three of them found the hangar easily enough. It was certainly massive, easily the size of three soccer stadiums, and they could see hundreds of crafts being serviced by mechanized units. Some were fairly small ships that appeared to be some manner of air superiority craft, if the sleek design, enormous engines, and large turbo blasters were any indication. There were also several dozen raptor class transports.

"Those must be our rides," Sally said, looking over to her friend. "I just hope we can fly one of them out of here."

"You and me both, Sally-girl," the cybernetic rabbit said as she looked down at her chronometer. "Two minutes till we leave him."

There was something to Bunnie's tone that caused Sally to give her a strange look. It was a bit of desperate hope, not that Norrack would be left behind, she sensed, but rather, that he would make it to their location in time. Once more, she found herself having to resist the urge to scratch her head as she attempted to figure out what was going on here.

"I don't see any Clones, let's go!" the elder princess said, putting her thoughts to the back of her mind. She'd deal with this mystery at a more appropriate time.

Fate however, appeared to be a tad fickle this particular Yuletide, as no sooner had they started out than they saw a door at the far end open up. It was a platoon of Neo-Crusaders, and in the front of them was a black armored figure, with a bloody mythosaur skull upon its helmet. Sally grabbed Saria and the two of them dove behind some supply crates as bolts lashed out across the hangar. Bunnie dove down behind them a moment later.

The energy bolts impacted harmlessly above them, and as Sally moved to cover her daughter she noticed something. The Clones were firing those blue tinted bolts from earlier. They appeared to be different from the normal blasts, as they certainly didn't blow holes in the wall. Conclusion: they were using stun rounds. She let a smile tug at the edge of her mouth despite the situation that they were in.

They at least had one edge over their foes.

The elder princess reached down for the pistol that Norrack had given her. She carefully peeked up and got a good look at where the troopers were, before popping up and firing off two shots at the Mandalorian. The purple bolts hit the Clone square in the chest, and rocked him back slightly, but did little other than that. She dropped back down as he attempted to return the favor, a frustrated growl upon her lips.

Whatever these guys were wearing for armor, it was unlike anything she had ever seen before, and she was half tempted to take the jackhammer that Bunnie had across her back and see if that might do the trick.

The rabbit had other ideas though, and reached for the jurkadir that she'd holstered.

"To hell with this," she muttered as she raised herself up and took aim.

She sighted up the Death Watchman, and fired.

The assault rifle spat out one of its deadly little packages. However, Bunnie suddenly found herself flying backwards and into the hangar wall. She gave a cry of surprise and slid to the ground, a groan coming from her as she reached back and felt a bruise forming from where the jackhammer had dug into her back.

"Stars alive!" she swore as Sally fired off a couple more shots. "That thing has a kick!"

"I guess that must be why Norrack said not to use them," the ground squirrel said as more bolts flew over their cover.

The Clones were doing a superb job keeping them suppressed and unable to move or return fire effectively. If they stayed put much longer they'd be helpless to prevent themselves from getting flanked. Once that happened, it was game over.

"Time to go!" Sally called, her commander tone slipping back into her voice.

The princess reached out and grabbed Bunnie's E-10. She stuck the carbine up over the crates they were behind, before firing off a barrage of shots. She let ten ring out, and then jumped up, dashing across the hangar with her daughter in between her and her friend.

The Neo-Crusaders had their heads down, but she knew that she had to keep firing, or they'd have a clear shot. They might have been moving targets, but thrown in enough fire, and they'd go down in a heartbeat.

She saw the Death Watchman pop up, take aim, and let fly. Bunnie went down a moment later as a stunning bolt hit her.

Two things happened next, so fast that Sally could scarcely discern them. The first was a small scream of rage that came from her daughter, and she couldn't stop the young girl from dashing straight at the black armored warrior.

Perhaps the cry and the subsequent movement caught the Mandalorian off guard, but something caused the soldier to suddenly yank out a sidearm and fire in the direction of the blur.

A second cry swiftly followed the first one, and Saria went down, skidding along the hangar floor as her right leg suddenly gave out. Dazed and disoriented, with tears of pain starting to slide down her face, the little girl twisted over to try and see what had happened. She saw it readily enough. A few inches above her kneecap, there was a gash that went straight to the bone. The wound was blackened and charred, with partially cauterized blood oozing up out of it.

A third scream, this one from her mother.

Sally opened up on the Death Watchman and a trio of red bolts hit the soldier, rocking it back. She was upon the Mandalorian a moment later, tacking it to the ground and placing both hands around her foe's throat.

She could feel the throat constricting beneath her hands as the body beneath the armor tried to get air. However, while rage might have clouded Sally's mind to the point where she was seeing red, she couldn't help but notice that the Mandalorian didn't seem to be fighting back at all.

Fury such as she had not known since she stared down Norrack filled her and she picked up her victim and slammed the person's head into the steel floor several times, all the while choking the life out of the Death Watchman.

It was only after about thirty seconds of this that the person below her finally seemed to snap out of it, and the princess suddenly found herself thrown off. She was back up immediately, ready to kill the person who had dared to hurt her daughter, when something made her pause.

The soldier ripped of her helmet. White fur and blue eyes, wide with the need for oxygen, met her sight.

It was Brianna.

The artic fox's eyes were fixed upon Saria and she seemed to be scrambling back away from the wounded girl. Those eyes, so pale, filled with... fear... horror?

Gunfire suddenly filled the hangar, and it wasn't coming her way.

She looked up and saw the Clones directing their shots at the door from which they had entered. Norrack had caught up to them.

He was wounded though, an arm dangling uselessly at his side, while the other one deflected shots back at their senders and a barrage of energy bolts left his caster.

A few struck what must have been a fuel drum of some sort, as it exploded in a spectacular display, sending a fireball up to the roof and knocking several Mandalorians off of their feet.

In a flash he had sheathed his blade and dashed over to them. He reached Saria first, and yanked the girl up, turning his back towards the enemy, shielding her with his own body. Several bolts slammed into him a second later, and as his shields crackled and flared he glanced over to her.

"Come on, Sal!" he shouted, making a dash for one of the raptors, twisting about so that he could keep shooting at his foes and still keep the child in his arms safe.

Bunnie was getting back up; groaning again as she got to her feet and took a look at what was going on.

"Get those jackhammers airborne!" the ARC trooper shouted.

The rabbit complied, shifting the launcher and targeting the largest group of Clones that she could find. There was a whoosh and a loud scream. The Neo-Crusaders dove left and right, several activating their jetpacks and scattering to the air, while firing down on her.

Bunnie didn't wait to launch a second one as the bolts rained down around her, turning and following the rest towards the chosen raptor. She pounded up the ramp and dove inside while Norrack stood at the entrance, firing off killing bolts at anything he could get a bead on.

"Get this bird in the air!" he roared as he reached over and smacked a wall control, causing a large, multi-barreled, and very menacing looking gun to snap down out of the ceiling. He quickly had it cycled and was firing down at the soldiers in the hangar, who did their best to try and return fire while not getting killed. Several were unsuccessful, but most were still a very large threat.

Bunnie dashed towards the cockpit, noticing Sally tending to her daughter. The rabbit registered the wound on the child, but couldn't stop to help. If they didn't get out of here, they'd all wind up like that or worse. She hopped into the seat and took a quick look around. Her eyes widened in surprise as she realized how similar they were to that of a LAAT, and she let out a small sigh of relief as she started pressing the buttons necessary to get the ship up and running.

The very first thing that she did after turning the beast on was to close the back door. It snapped shut with a clang, cutting them off from the troopers on the other side. After that, it was a simple matter to bring up the main engines and get the craft underway. She felt the deck hum and pulse underneath her metal feet as they shot out of the landing bay.

She kept the ship moving low and fast, surprised by the maneuverability of the craft. The controls were feather light, and the ship's speed. She'd never seen a transport accelerate like this one was capable of doing.

"Keep the point defense weapons and shields warmed, we're not out of this yet!" she heard Norrack call from behind her.

The cyborg walked up towards Sally, who was busy tending to her daughter as best she could.

"I need your medkit." Her voice was calm and in control.

He reached into his belt and pulled out a bacta syringe, assembling it with surprising speed and skill for only having one arm, before handing it over to the princess. Sally plunged the needle into her daughter's leg, just above the wound.

"That will do until we can get her back to Stonehenge. The medical wing has bacta tanks that can heal her up." He paused for a moment, and Sally thought that the cyborg drew a ragged breath. Was he hurt? "Right now, I need Nicole again."

Bunnie had given the small AI back to her owner. Slowly, still very much hesitant around the killing machine, she handed her computer over. With gentleness and care, he took the little machine and flipped her open.

"Nicole, I need you to scan this bird, search for tracking devices and radio transponders," he said.

"Scanning now, Norrack," Nicole responded.

Her screen flashed several times, before she pulled up a holographic display of the ship that they were on. A couple of flashing red beacons appeared, one near the cockpit, the other in what appeared to be the compartment they were in.

"Thank you," the cyborg said as he handed her back to Sally.

He then reached up and began fiddling with something on his right arm. Both the princess and her daughter watched in morbid fascination as seals hissed and air suddenly hissed out from the suit. The ARC reached underneath the gap that had now appeared in his strange armor. The fingers moved about for a bit, before the entire arm suddenly came off in his left hand.

Sally took a step back, stunned. She'd always known that Norrack's arms had to be cybernetic, but to see one of them removed; a bare, mechanized socket exposed like some macabre version of child's action figure put it in a whole new light.

He placed the limb down in the seat next to Saria he moved to the portion of their compartment that the transponder had been shown to be in. He unsheathed a claw and sliced open a bulkhead above the seats on the far side of the craft. Norrack's hand went in a couple of seconds after that, before pulling back. A small, silvery object was in his hand. He flexed his fingers, and the device crumpled like an empty soda can.

He walked up towards the cockpit after that, going after the second device.

"Any sign of pursuit? Fighters, things like that?" he asked Bunnie as he leaned over her in his search.

"No, and I don't like it one bit," the rabbit grumbled. "It's like they let us go."

"We'll bring the ship down a few miles away from the base to make certain. For now, just get us there fast. Saria's been stabilized, but she needs more help than a field medkit can offer right now."

Sally had been rocking her daughter back and forth, trying to let the little girl know that she was there for her, when she heard those words. There was a strange tone to them, something she couldn't quite place. For some reason it put her at ease and destroyed the last bit of doubt she might have had about Norrack's intentions.

After he smashed the second transmitter, the cyborg came back over to where they were. He knelt down in front of Saria, and placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. The little girl gave a weary grin, tried to put on a brave face despite her wound.

He smiled behind his helmet, a small feeling of relief welling up inside of him. The wound could be healed, both she and her mother were safe, and somehow, against all odds, he managed to survive another defeat at Shadow's hands. Still, he couldn't relax just yet, not until they were safely back in Mobotropolis.

* * *

He saw the transport dash off as he entered the hangar. Frustration filled him, but he had to keep his cool.

"Pilots, intercept now!" he called over the PA system.

"Negative on that," Shadow's voice came over the comm. "Let them go."

"But—"

"I need them alive, Mandalore, and unless you want to try boarding a transport in mid-flight, I suggest you not go after them. There will be other opportunities." The comm. link switched off after that.

It was then that Jaster noticed something. The Clones were moving towards a specific area of the hangar, and he heard what sounded like crying. He recognized the voice and dashed over. The Neo-Crusaders were shoved out of the way as their leader knelt down next to Brianna. He checked her over, frantically scanned for injuries. To his immense relief, he found none. Still, she carried on, curled up in a ball while tears coursed down her face and her chest heaved.

"What's wrong?" the wolf asked, grabbing her around the shoulders and shaking her to get her to look at him.

"I... I sh..." she stuttered, tears glistened in her eyes. "I shot her... the girl."

She broke down again, crying into his chest. He held her close and looked up at the nearest Clone, who shook his head.

"Looked like a leg injury, Mandalore," he answered. "The shot just grazed her. Didn't appear to be fatal."

Jaster nodded, and motioned for them to leave.

In his arms, Brianna continued to sob, memories flashing in her mind. She saw it replayed again, the girl going down. Saria gave a cry, and then her image changed, transformed into her husband as a child. She and the others desperately tried to stifle his moans of pain in case any soldiers were still a round. His chest blasted open and his breathing unsteady as he fought for his life.

She heard a faint hiss and a clunk as Jaster took his helmet off and pulled her closer against him. She felt his muzzle against the back of her head, heard him whisper something into her ear. It would be okay, he kept telling her.

He suddenly felt like the only warm thing in the world . She leaned back into him and tried to take comfort in his presence.

The wolf merely stared up at the ceiling, wondered why providence had chosen to try and punish his wife now. She'd been though enough, they all had. A small prayer also went out to Saria. She was just a child, and he didn't want her to suffer like he had.

He shuddered at the memories. The feeling of helplessness, the knowledge that his father had just died, that Derrick had just been hauled away to his death. The others had found him, nursed him back to life, though he would carry the scars to his death.

"Am I any different?" Her voice was cracked.

"Don't even say that," Jaster whispered, "it was an accident. Don't think you're like them for one single second. They shot me on purpose. Tinian tried to murder me. You aren't him, you're not."

He shifted her around until he stared into her eyes. He brushed a hand through her hair. "You are not him. Do you understand me? You are not a monster."

He pulled her into an embrace as the door opened and the rest of the Watchmen came running in. They surrounded her within seconds, crowded near, made certain that she was okay, offered what words and gestures they could.

Ever loyal, a bond of kinship and camaraderie that nothing could break.

A family.

* * *

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Okay, hope everyone found that to their liking, and that the quality was okay. As per usual, any and all forms of feedback are appreciated, from constructive criticism, ideas, plot devices, etc. and so forth.

Hope to see you all next time, though it might be two weeks again, as I've got finals coming up.

Until then, have a great day. Now, I feel my caffeine high wearing off, and it is time to hit the hay, as it's about 4 a.m. over here.


	9. Home Sweet Home

Hello everyone, hope you're having a good day. Little stressed down here, but three exams down, two more to go. I've got em tomorrow, and they're probably going to be my hardest, so wish me luck.

As always, thanks to everyone who's read the story, and I hope that I've answered the reviewers questions adequately.

Lawyers: insert random previous disclaimer here.

* * *

&

* * *

Home Sweet Home

The elevator door swished open, and the group poured out into the medical wing of Stonehenge. Sally gently cradled her daughter in her arms and headed straight for a row of bacta tanks that were lined up along the wall. Norrack was right beside her, and he began punching in a numeric code as soon as they were next to one of them.

An oxygen mask dropped from the ceiling as the elder princess climbed the stairs that led up to the top of the tank. Saria opened her eyes halfway, and glanced over at her mother as the mask was strapped on. Then the emerald orbs drifted down to the armored cyborg at the base of the tank. As if he sensed her eyes upon him, he looked up. His remaining hand formed a thumbs up as the tank began to fill with blue liquid.

Sally put her child onto the metal grating that sat over the top of the tank. The machinery whirred to life, and lowered the young girl into the bacta. The substance would go to work on her wound immediately, and hopefully heal it before permanent damage could be done.

Kotyo painkiller had also been added to the mix, and Saria was asleep shortly afterwards.

"Think she'll be alright?" Bunnie asked as she walked up behind the two.

"She should be," Norrack responded. He started to say something else, but a coughing fit took him over.

"Are you okay?" Sally asked, and surprised herself by the caring in her voice.

"Just messed up inside a little bit, nothing a soak in one of those wouldn't cure." He nodded towards the tank that her daughter was in. "I need to wait for some tech droids to get here, though. I need to get my arm and armor patched up."

The princess couldn't keep her eyes off of the ARC trooper. He was messed up pretty badly. His armor was scorched and blackened, an arm rendered useless, and what seemed to be some fairly serious internal injuries. She had seen him fight, had taken him on after she'd watched him cut down Freedom Fighters by the score. Yet the fight between him and Shadow appeared to have been one sided. She was unnerved to say the least.

A flash of images filled her mind. A black armored figure slaughtering Mobians left and right, an unstoppable killer far beyond what the cyborg across from her had ever been.

She shook the thought from her head and looked around her. It was still difficult for her to take in this marvel. A multi-kilometer fortress hidden deep within the bowels of the planet, able to service what looked to be several score thousand people with ease.

"Why was this place built?" she asked aloud.

"As a fortress of last resort during the Great War, in the event of… escalation." Norrack said as he looked over towards her. "Your father didn't want to take the risk of getting caught flatfooted, and so Stonehenge was constructed." He pointed up at the ceiling. "There are five kilometers of rock and half a kilometer of solid ferrosteel on top of this place. You could hit it with enough firepower to turn the entire surface into a ball of molten slag and still not get down here. It was supposed to be the original fallback point in the event of national emergency, but knowledge of its location was a strict secret. I don't think anyone outside of the people working on the ARC project knew of this place yet, probably why you were taken to Knothole rather than here."

Sally remained silent, contemplating what the cyborg had said. This was where she had originally been supposed to come? How might things have been different here, growing up underground rather than in the forest? The arsenal of weapons and vehicles here meant that the war might have been over sooner, but would things have been as they were? Would Sonic have found Tails? Would any of the other groups have learned of them and banded together?

"How did this place get built and nobody know about it?" Bunnie scratched her head in confusion.

"It was mostly constructed with droids and techbots, working with materials that had been 'lost' due to 'production errors' and the like," Norrack said. "They were left here after the construction was finished, to ensure the upkeep of the place and to help the scientists working on the ARC project."

The doors hissed open and she looked up to see what it was. There was a trio of small tech droids waiting at the threshold of the entrance, chirping amongst themselves. Norrack grunted and moved over to grab his arm. As he slung it over his shoulder, he stared at Saria, floating peacefully in the tube, her leg wound slowly starting to put itself back together. He then turned his attention towards her mother.

"If you need to use the freshers, they're this way." He gestured with his head.

Sally seemed torn for a moment or two, her gaze shifting between her daughter and the doorway.

"You get yourself cleaned up, Sally-girl," Bunnie waved her onwards with her robotic hand, "I'll make certain that Saria's got company."

The elder princess nodded, and then followed after the cyborg out to where the subway was.

The tram ride was as swift as it had been the first time, and they were soon in another region of the massive fortress. There was something about this place that seemed… odd, she thought as she stepped off of the train. It wasn't as cold, for lack of a better term. The walls had some decorations, old paintings and the like hanging upon them. Her eyes wide with curiosity, she gave Norrack a look.

"The quarters of the scientists responsible for the creation of the ARC project." He kept walking down the hallway as he spoke. "Little more comfortable, and a little more private. I thought you might prefer that to the barracks' refreshers."

The girl remained silent. She didn't really care much about that sort of thing right now; she was more worried about her daughter. Still, she appreciated the gesture. The gears of her mind began clanking together again as she began another attempt to figure the cyborg out.

He stopped at one of the doors in the hallway, and quickly punched in a key code. The ground squirrel looked up at him one more time.

"You have a skeleton key to this place?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

"I did have to use my universal lock pick until I figured out how to get access to the codes, if that's what you're asking." He turned his head slightly towards the energy blades strapped across his back.

He turned and started walking further down the hall after that. Sally stood where she was, watched him enter the final door. Squinting, she was able to make out the name etched next to it: Charles H.

The droids entered the room behind the ARC, and then the door closed. The princess sighed, and then entered the living quarters.

From where he was in the room of his creator, Sonic sighed and popped his helmet off. She was here, so close that he could have reached out and touched her. He wanted more than anything in the world to cast off this shell that he had been trapped in for so long, embrace her and Saria, and hold them both until time became meaningless.

A flash of pain, an image. The battle on the cliff top. He saw it again in his mind.

With a wretched sob, he began to shuck his armor, while his personal bacta tank was readied. Off to the side, sparks could be seen as the tech droids went to work on fixing his arm.

Sonic ascended the stairs as the tank filled, attached the oxygen mask around his face, and then immersed himself in the healing substance. His body's wounds were soon on their way to being healed.

But the bacta could not heal the wound his spirit suffered from.

* * *

The water beat down upon her as she vigorously scrubbed herself. It felt good to finally rub herself clean, at least as best as she could. Shadow hadn't hurt her, not physically any way. Still, she felt… tainted, for lack of a better term. He had gone around inside of her mind, probed her innermost secrets and the private moments from her past that she'd treasured so much.

Her blood began to boil again, and she grit her teeth, promising to herself that somehow, in some manner, she'd make the black hedgehog pay for what he'd done.

Her thoughts drifted to the Mandalorians, both the Clones and their templates. Why were they doing this? What was in it for them? She remembered Jaster's smile and his handshake, the look in his eyes. The respect, even admiration, that had shone in them. Brianna's look of horror as she realized what she'd done.

Clearly, she wasn't dealing with sociopathic monsters in those people, so why then would they work with Shadow? Or for that matter, Snivley? What was so important to them that they were willing to make that Faustian bargain?

She continued to stand under the showerhead, let the water run over her as she tried to put everything together.

* * *

She must have spent nearly thirty minutes in their before she emerged, shaking the last bit of water from her crimson hair. As she stepped out, she noticed some green and black military clothes sitting on a bench. She stared at them for a second, and blinked as she realized that Norrack must have been out and about already.

Sure enough, as she exited, he was there, his back to the room. His armor was as pristine as they day it had been forged, and he had a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. Had he been waiting for her?

"Feeling better?" he asked as he turned around.

"A little, thank you." She started to walk back down towards where her daughter and Bunnie were. "You're out awful fast."

"Little something I picked a couple of years ago," he said as he fell in beside her. "Snivley was working on something for Shadow, something called a bacta processing implant. It directs the bacta directly to the sites of the injuries, doubles the healing factor."

"You stole it from him?" she sounded surprised.

"Just like I stole this armor. The two of them were rather upset, to say the least."

"Just how long have you been, well…" she paused, searching for the right word. "fighting for our freedom?"

"Five years, ever since I found out about Shadow and his plans." He sighed. "I don't know how much headway I've made though. I've taken down convoys, patrols, and even an entire base, but there are more Clones than I can deal with. And Shadow… he's a true ARC trooper. He's beyond me."

They had reached the tram by now, and the doors opened again.

"Who were you?" she asked abruptly.

"What?" he cocked his head and she could tell there was a baffled look on the face on the other side of that helmet.

"Who were you, before Robotnik got a hold of you," she said as the train shot off.

"I…" he frantically searched for a lie, something that might be believable. "I don't know. I remember being a soldier, but that's about it." He prayed she would buy it.

"Really?" She sounded skeptical, and he was grateful she couldn't see his face.

"Yes. Whoever I was before… before this, is dead," he said, and he had to force himself to hold back the pain that tried to well itself up inside of his heart.

The tram slowed to a stop a moment later, and he hurried off. He was anxious to leave that particular bit of conversation behind him and to check up on Saria. The girl would probably be waking up soon, and he wanted to be there. He could not be the concerned father that she should have had in her life, but he could play the role of a concerned friend.

"What's in the bag?" Bunnie asked as the two of them entered.

"Combat rations," the ARC responded, reaching into it and pulling out an energy bar, which he tossed to her. "I figured you could use the nourishment."

"I'm famished myself," the rabbit said as she got up took it off his shoulder.

Both he and Sally took a moment to check on Saria. She was still out cold, but the bacta was doing its job, and the wound on her leg was already noticeably less severe. Most of the flesh had knit itself back together, and with luck she might not even have a scar left to remember the incident with.

Sally let out a sigh of relief, and placed her hands upon the tube. It was hard to believe it, that she was not much older than she had been, and she was already being exposed to the horrors of war.

Why was this happening all over again?

* * *

"Is mom going to be okay?"

Jaster looked down at the boy, at his son. A small smile teased at the edges of his mouth.

"She'll be fine, Cado," he said as he knelt down to look into the eyes of his child. "She's just had a rough night. Now go back to bed, you need your sleep."

The boy nodded, and then retreated to his room. The wolf stayed where he was, and leaned back against the wall of his bedroom. Brianna had fallen into a fitful sleep. She would thrash back and forth occasionally, mutter something, and then turn over. What had happened tonight would haunt her for some time. He frowned and placed a hand to his muzzle. Better send a Clone intel unit to check out on the younger princess' condition tomorrow.

He placed a hand against his chest, felt his scars.

Malachor.

The memories filled his mind like a bitter potion. His people slain, cut down by overwhelming numbers, by artillery fire and grenades. His father fell back, shot through the head. Tinian's smirk as the handgun settled over his chest and fired. The pain, Goddess, the pain. He felt as if a lightning bolt had struck him.

He heard Derrick scream in rage, a scuffle before all had faded into blackness.

He looked back down at his wife. How that must have torn at her. Her mother dead, her father captured, no doubt publicly executed to satisfy the whims of a bloodthirsty population.

Among his kind, there could not be a worse death.

A sigh left him and he sat down on the edge of the bed. There was a holopicture on the nightstand. It was a picture of the gang right after Station Square had been taken. Smiles were upon the faces of everyone, and people could be seen rejoicing in the background.

Those had been good times. Victory seemed near and they had dreamed that they would be accepted with open arms by their comrades. They would march forward into a glorious future, perhaps even begin raising more of their kind, teaching others the way of the Mandalorian.

Reality had swiftly crushed such high hopes and naïve dreams.

They had found no such refuge. Exile had been their only option after they had revealed themselves for who they were. Lives that they had saved were forgotten, missions they had undertaken in the name of Freedom were ignored; all that mattered was the blood that ran in their veins. The blood that they refused to be ashamed of.

The armor stand in the corner of the room drew his attention, and a weary smile came to his face. The silver suit had been made from his father's, melted down and combined with the newly discovered alloys that Snivley had developed. It had been reforged, better, stronger, and tougher then it had ever been before.

Just as his people had.

They were few in number, relatively speaking, only a few hundred thousand right now, and all of them Clones. But soon, soon the time would come when their ranks would swell once more, when his people would again live and thrive, rather than teeter precariously upon the edge of extinction.

"I will make you proud, father." His whisper broke the silence of the room, and he had to fight back a tear as the image of his beloved old man appeared in his mind. "I will save our people… no matter the cost to myself."

A leader needed to be prepared to go to hell for those he ruled, for the sake of those underneath him. Goddess as his witness, if he had to damn himself to save the Mandalorian race, he would do it.

He crawled into the bed and cuddled up next to his wife. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close once more, before he shut his eyes and allowed for sleep to take him in its embrace.

* * *

The deck hummed beneath their feet as they shot through the sky, the snow covered terrain below passing by in a blur. Saria watched it intently, as this was the first time in years that she'd been up in a flying transport where she wasn't drugged and paralyzed.

Norrack was up in the cockpit, carefully dodging the pockets of turbulence and gusts of the crosswinds that occurred at this altitude.

"How much further?" Sally asked as she walked up behind him.

"I'm going to put us down in a couple of minutes. I don't want to risk getting picked up on the sensors," he answered. "For starters, they'd be just as likely to shoot us, considering all that's happened. Secondly, I don't want the fact that I'm still drawing breath to be a widely advertised fact. I'd rather not have bounty hunters running all over the place, looking for me."

"But when Elias and my father—"

"The people will not be so quick to forget what I did, princess. Just look at the Mandalorians. There was a taboo and prejudicial hatred towards them for years after Malachor. How do you think they'll react to me?" He looked up at her, his head cocked quizzically.

"I… see…" she said slowly as a frown came over her face.

Behind his visor, the ARC trooper's eyes widened. Was she upset by this knowledge? Had she… did he dare to hope… forgiven him? Had his actions the previous night made up for his past transgressions?

He let the question go unanswered, and sat back in the piloting chair. The next couple of minutes went by in silence, and he couldn't bring himself to strike up further conversation. When he finally reached their destination, a short distance from the sensor boundaries, he put the LAAT into a hover and slowly guided it down towards the ground. The craft settled to the ground with a thump.

He rose from the chair and moved towards the main hold and pressed the switch to open the side doors. Sunlight and chilly air seeped into the ship. The three Mobians without a sealed combat suit to shivered slightly.

Bunnie and Saria got up. The rabbit went to get the two hover bikes they had brought ready to depart, while the child threw her arms around the cyborg one more time. As he had before, the ARC trooper reached down and ruffled her crimson hair.

"See you around, squirt," he said, a hidden smile upon his face.

"Take care of yourself."

He turned around to see Sally walking by him. The ground squirrel paused for a second, stared him in the eyes.

"Thank you, for everything." Her tone was soft, barely audible.

"I should be thanking you…"

She cocked an eyebrow at him, and he had to scramble to recover.

"You freed me after all, " he said with a frown, and decided to change the subject. He reached down and pulled out a holodisc casing from his belt. "Take this. It's all the intel I've been able to gather on Shadow's forces. I still don't know about his airpower or armor support, but light and heavy infantry and their small arms are all recorded on this thing."

"Thank you." She nodded her head.

"Just tell your people to step on it. I don't know how much time you have left before they're ready. They've lost the element of surprise, but they still have enormous war potential. They'll steamroll you if you're not careful." He couldn't stress it enough.

"I'll let the others know." She paused for a beat, her eyes staring through the black visor on his helmet. "You've done..."

"Only that which I should. I have a lot of bad karma to pay off, remember?" His voice come out more bitter than he expected, and he turned to head back up. "Just remember though," he called to her as she stepped off. "I'm still on your side. If you need a hand from the shadows, you know where to find me."

She nodded once more, and then hopped onto her bike. She placed her daughter in front of her, and the two of them sped off as the LAAT lifted into the air.

Her thoughts were still firing back and forth within her mind as she tried to think of all that had just happened. How the outlook of life could change in less than the course of a day.

* * *

His legs were crossed, his hands folded, palm side up. His breathing deep and even as he tried to control himself.

Again.

He'd done it again. Sonic had escaped him again. How did his brother keep managing to do it? He was inferior to him. He made himself weak, refused to accept his gifts to their fullest potential.

A brief flash in his mind. A female, an Overlander. She screamed, shouted for him to run. Blaster fire filled the air. She dropped, the stench of roasted flesh and cauterized blood filled the air.

"Apprehend target Omega!" a mechanized voice said.

Swat Bots closed in on him, their blasters raised. Rage, another scream, a feeling running through him, something foreign and alien. Power, unlike anything he'd felt before.

With a growl he banished the memory of the coup. He had learned a valuable lesson that day. To survive in this world required one to be as fierce and cunning as a predator. He had risen to the challenge. He was the supreme being on this planet, the pinnacle of his kind. And he would have his due.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, hope that one was up to snuff. The next chapter will be some conferencing and techie discussion, as our heroes attempt to figure just what their new enemies will be able to throw at them.

As always, advice, feedback, constructive criticism and the like are all welcomed with open arms. Ideas and weapons are also well liked, so if you have one, let me know about it.

Until next time, I'm signing off, and wishing you all have the best possible week.


	10. A Sobering Moment

Hello everyone, and I hope you're all having a wonderful time, with it being the 24th and all. I've been a bit busy down here, as Dad's decided that now would be a good time to do some Home Depot styled improvements to the yard and house. Still, I've managed to turn this out in time to present it too you as a Christmas present. Hope you all enjoy it, as I'm a little nervous about it. (crosses fingers)

To everyone who's read the story so far, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time and effort to do so, I know I can be a handful at times. To those of you who have reviewed, I hope you found my replies adequate, and note irritated with me.

Lawyers: My but you are persistant little bloodsuckers, aren't you? Fine! I swear upon my immortal soul that I plan nothing profitable from this in any way form or fashion, and claim ownership only of the characters that I myself have created. Now, bugger off or go pull an Ebenezer Scrooge.

* * *

&

* * *

A Sobering Moment

"I want to thank all of you for agreeing to see us on such short notice, I know your schedule's must have been busy," Elias said with a slight bow.

"One doesn't turn down a priority invitation from the king, day after yuletide or not," the Zeo Matrix representative, a coyote, said with a nod.

"Indeed, but some of us do have schedules, so let's make this quick," the rabbit that was there for LCC grumbled.

There were four of them at the table in front of the king, representatives from the reforged Mobian mega corps, Zeo Matrix, Emuerade, LCC, and Bakira. All looked anxious, as there had been an abnormally high amount of security on their way here.

Sally understood it perfectly. The kidnapping of her and her daughter was being kept under wraps from the general public for the moment. There was a war at hand, and there was enough information on that holodisk to potentially demoralize a population without letting the people know that this new enemy had snuck in and whisked away part of the royal family in the middle of night.

The representatives weren't alone. Military officers and generals from all over the planet were present here for this briefing, as was Derrick.

"Sally." Elias nodded towards her as he took a seat.

"Some of you may have heard rumors of an 'incident' that occurred at the palace the night before last." Sally clasped her hands behind her back and looked around the room. "You have heard correctly. There was an armed strike force which penetrated the palace defenses and caused considerable damage before they succeeded in kidnapping myself and my daughter."

There was a collective gasp from the group.

"We were able to escape with the help of General D'Coollette's wife, who tracked them down, but we obtained knowledge that was quite sobering. The source behind the attack was a rouge element currently calling themselves the 'Neo Crusaders'." She pressed a button on the control she held, and a dossier appeared from a holoprojector.

She moved around a menu for a moment, before selecting one of the files. A picture appeared along with a data readout. It was a black panther.

"Kex Prudii." Antoine nodded in the direction of the man. "A sniper and marksman, trained in covert assassination and infiltration." Another picture appeared, a snow leopard. "Xarga Jaiing, close combat specialist."

The list continued. Daveriel Jaiing, a computer slicer. Kailenna Fett, a demolitions expert. Braska Bevin, heavy weapons and anti-armor support.

Then came the next to last. A female artic fox. Her pale eyes shone with a hidden strength and steel. Antoine looked over to Derrick. The old Mandalorian's face was scrunched up in confusion, as if he was on the edge of a revelation.

"Brianna Ordo, grenadier and rifle specialist."

Sally watched Derrick's face, how it became a study of shock, disbelief, and then what appeared to be fatigue. His hands shaking he rose to his feet, his gait unsteady. He nearly fell, but one of the officers caught him. His amber eyes locked onto the princess'. The question was silent. Sally nodded.

"Your daughter," she affirmed.

"How?" was all he could say.

Murmurs broke out throughout the room, and more than a few people shot glares at the old man, tried to place the blame for this upon him, now that it was known that his flesh and blood was involved.

"They were children at the time of Malachor, and apparently hid from the soldiers after the battle. They stayed there for some time, trying to nurse the final member of the group back to health," Sally continued. She pressed a button on the remote, and a wolf appeared. "Jaster Merell."

Derrick did fall to his knees then. He looked at the picture, of the man that the boy had become. The eyes, the neutral expression on his face, the marks running down his tear lines. It was Canderous' son.

"Jaster was critically injured at Malachor, suffering near fatal execution styled wounds at the hands of a Royal Army officer." Sally's tone was filled with disgust for the latter part of the sentence, but she regained control of herself. "Somehow he survived with the others. Then, they fall off of the map until about seven years later, when the resistance starts up. They joined in with one of the southern bands of Freedom Fighters. However, shortly after the victory over Robotnik, they were exiled when it was discovered that they were Mandalorians. This is the first we've officially heard of them since then."

"What are the marks running down their faces?" a captain inquired.

"The Tears of Skirata."

Everyone looked to Derrick. The old man was barely holding himself together, and there was a crack in his steel hard voice.

"It's a Mandalorian sign of mourning." He brought his hands together, clasped them as if in prayer. "Kal Skirata was one of the first Mandalores, many hundreds of years ago. He was a brilliant and compassionate leader of our kind. However, in one battle, his six children were all killed. According to legend, he wept blood at the knowledge of that, and soon afterwards died himself. Ever since then the Tears have been a way of signifying great loss among our people. Every one of those children probably lost their entire families at Malachor…"

He let the sentence die, lapsed into silence. Antoine awkwardly cleared his throat and moved onward with the discussion.

"They are extremely skilled warriors, and their talents have been put to great use by the leading technician of the group." He selected the next to last file and another set of gasps filled the room as the image of Snively appeared, though he was not immediately recognized, again due to his hair. "Jonathan Kintobor, the technical genius behind the operation. His knowledge has been utilized in creating the army."

"What kind of an army are we talking about here?" one of the soldiers asked.

In response, Sally pressed a button on her remote, and the image of Snively was replaced with life-sized images of a rotating, armored figure. The princess pressed a button on a remote that she held, and the figure suddenly broke into a run, its assault rifle raised to chest level.

A message in the air, flashed and blinked several times.

_Neo Crusader, light infantry, rifleman. _

"What is that?" the Emurade rep inquired, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"The army," Sally said with a grave voice.

"Are they…" a major from the back ranks paused as he searched for the right words. "Are they all Mandos?"

"Yes." Antoine gestured towards the telltale visor and kama. "They are Mandalorians, trained in their doctrine and fighting techniques. This variety right here is a standard rifleman. All in all, there are several hundred thousand of them."

"How could they have raised an army that large without anyone knowing, where would they have gotten the troops, the supplies, the manufacturing industry?" another officer asked.

"They've been using bases hidden in the hostile regions of Mobius, using sensor jamming and hologram generators to hide their bases. We aren't sure how many there are, but we estimate no more than fifteen." General D'Coolette, continued. "As for the soldiers themselves… they're Clones."

There was a moment of silence, followed by outbursts of conversation.

"Your silence please," the coyote growled. Such was the power of his voice that everyone shut up. "The Neo Crusaders are drawn from Jaster and the other Mandalorians, and are rapidly aged to reach combat maturity.

"These Clones are born and bred killing machines, trained from day one in all manner of battlefield tactics. They have riflemen, grenadiers, snipers, heavy weapon and dedicated anti-armor operators among their ranks." He pressed a button and various different Neo Crusaders appeared in the room, all of them sporting a variety of different weapons. "In addition to sporting combat competence that is above and beyond what we currently have at our disposal, the Neo Crusaders have a technology edge as well."

The rifleman's weapon suddenly came out of his hands. It spun around a few times and gave everyone present a good view of the weapon.

"This is their primary small arms weapon, the X-51 'jurkadir' assault rifle. It is part of a group of blasters that the Neo Crusaders have termed 'bolters'. We're not sure what exactly it is that they use for their ammunition, aside from that it is some manner of high power energy beam that shares characteristics with both particle and plasma weaponry." He paused for a moment and contemplated how best to say what came next. The military officers weren't going to like the news. "The weapon has a variable yield power adjuster, capable of five different settings in addition to automatic, burst or semi-automatic fire capabilities. The energy pack holds a charge of one hundred rounds on standard power… which comes out in the neighborhood of seven mega-joules a shot."

There was a pause, and Antoine looked over the room. Everyone was bug eyed over what he'd just dropped. Seven mega-joules were an awful lot of energy; almost six times what the old DC series of guns had been capable of unleashing.

Derrick seemed to be the only one who wasn't surprised. His people always had had a love for overpowered weaponry. He shook his head as he remembered an old Mandalorian credo that Canderous had once jokingly told him: "There is no such thing as overkill. There is only 'open fire' and 'I need to reload'."

"The rifle also carries a tactical scope capable of multiple zooming levels, and links to the HUD of their helmets, allowing for a 'gun's eye view'. There's something else as well," Sally said as she picked the briefing back up. "The gun is a 'smart' weapon. It has sensors in it that link up with the gauntlets of the Crusader's armor and activates a series of micro-repulsors and recoil dampeners in and around the weapon. If that connection is broken, they shut off, and the weapon basically becomes useless in the hands of a normal Mobian."

"What do you mean?" Geoffrey St. John asked, his tone somewhat foul, as he had been left out of the initial briefing.

"The data that we obtained indicated that Clones are trained in specialized holodeck environments at 2.5 G gravity levels. They are insanely strong, possibly as a direct means of being able to deal with the recoil of these weapons. We believe that the abnormally high recoil has something to do with the energy field that the bolt is contained within, which has been tuned to give it a 'punch' that is capable of blowing a target off its feet. Bunnie tried firing one without wearing their gear, and she was knocked back into a wall by the weapon's kick."

More murmurs came from the assembled group, as several officers and the mega-corp representatives jotted down some notes.

Another one of the armored figures came to the forefront and began moving around. This one held a rifle that was very similar to the first one, except that it had a second barrel on top of the first.

_Neo Crusader, light infantry, grenadier._

"This unit is identical to the rifleman variety, except that their jurkadirs have an over slung launcher for heavy anti infantry weapons." Sally gestured to the large barrel. "It carries its ammo in a magazine fed, six-round launcher held at the back end of the gun, in a bull pup fashion. This enables a series of linear magnetic coils to throw the grenade out at much higher velocity, giving it improved range and stopping power."

She selected the next unit. This one was carrying a different weapon. It was larger, bulkier and box-like around the middle, and the shoulder stock was affixed horizontally, rather than vertically. Prominent iron sights and a scope were again attached to it, as was a massive, box-styled power pack. A bipod support unit could also been seen attached to the front.

_Neo Crusader, light infantry, assault trooper._

"This type operates as a support unit in the field. While its armor is the same as the other Clones, instead of a jurkadir rifle it carries an M-249 'escilian' automatic repeater. This weapon is more powerful than the jurkadir, has a higher rate of fire, and a larger ammo capacity. However, its range is not as great." Sally raised her finger to accentuate her point. "In battle, we believe their job is to suppress enemy fire teams and force them to keep their heads down while their own solders are able to move around without fear of enemy retaliation."

Another unit was selected, this one holding a long barreled rifle.

_Neo Crusader, light infantry, scout. _

"The scout is the basic unit of infantry reconnaissance and information gathering of their ground forces. They are equipped with a variety of probe droids for battle field observation, and a M-241x 'verpine' sniper rifle." The princess crossed her arms and frowned slightly. "We are not yet certain of the range capabilities of this particular weapon, but we know that it has a minimum effective distance of three kilometers."

She selected the final soldier. This one was carrying a large weapon that could only have been a rocket launcher.

_Neo-Crusader, light infantry, anti-armor trooper._

"This unit's name pretty much speaks for itself." She gestured to its primary weapon. "It is armed with a P-301 'Plex' rocket launcher. The rockets it fires are high explosive, armor-piercing, one hundred and twenty millimeter missiles. The missiles can lock onto either a heat source, or the repulsor lift generators of a vehicle, making it both an effective anti tank and anti aircraft weapon. As a backup weapon, the unit also carries a MP-9 'koch' submachine gun. It lacks both the stopping power and range capabilities of the other weapons the Clones carry, but its high rate of fire makes it excellent for temporarily suppressing an enemy position."

"Then there is their armor," Antoine said as he took a step forward and took over.

The rifleman came to the center again, and the armor separated into several distinct parts.

"The shell in which the Neo-Crusaders have encased themselves is a very impressive piece of defensive hardware. Data readouts indicate that the armor itself is a composite alloy, composed primarily of a material called 'neosteel,' which Kintobor seems to have developed. It is significantly stronger than our current armor plates, and its strength is achieved by fusing zersium with something Kintobor calls 'ceramite'. The whole thing is then infused with an exotic alloy called lamina, making it able to flex without suffering from stress fractures."

"So they're armored like tanks and are able to move around without being encumbered by their gear?" the Bakita rep muttered, a frown on his face as he jotted down notes.

"Yes," Antoine said with a nod. He pressed a button on his remote and a video file came up next to the soldier.

There was a group of Clones clustered around a series of armor suits. One of them leveled a weapon and pointed it at the chest of the suit.

"What's that?" someone asked.

"A B-5 carbine, standard issue Mobian police weapon, max yield of two hundred and fifty kilojoules. Our company makes them," the Emeraude representative said as she leaned forward in her seat.

The Clone opened fire at point blank range. Red tinged bolts smashed into the armor and sent sprays of light everywhere. At full auto the fifty round magazine was soon empty. When the soldier stepped away from the suit, there was a collective gasp from the Mobians present in the room. Aside from some carbon scoring, there was no visible evidence that the neosteel suit had even been damaged.

At the second suit, another Clone stepped forward. She held a DC-19 in her hands. As her comrade had, she stepped up to point blank range and let fly a barrage of automatic blaster fire. Blue beams struck the suit and the gun bucked in her hand. Ten rounds hit. The armor held strong, though bits of black slowly appeared on it. Twenty rounds. It began to glow just slightly, and sparks flew. Thirty rounds and it finally gave as the bolts penetrated the manikin.

Antoine stopped the feed and looked over to the assembled people. "As you can see, their armor is amazingly powerful, and is able to withstand multiple shots from their own weapons, a third of a clip from a decee, and are in theory completely immune to civilian weaponry."

"We need to turn out more powerful weapons and stronger armor, is that what you're asking?" the Zeo spokesperson asked.

"Correct." Antoine nodded his head. "We cannot beat them, equipped as we are. Simply put, gentlemen, we need bigger guns."

"We'll get right on it." The other coyote's voice was grave, but determined.

"There are other things you should know about the suit before we proceed, though." The general held up his hand and pointed to the helmet, which split open to reveal a complex interior. "The visor is actually just for show, and is not used in any way. Instead, computer sensors deliver a holographic readout of surprising clarity to the soldier, he literally sees what the computer feeds him. There is also a two way squad radio and interlinking HUD capabilities, enabling every Clone to visually link up and give the other units the ability to see what he can." As he spoke, a screen within a screen appeared, showing a simulated battle raging.

"In addition to that, the suit is completely sealed and offers full NBC protection to the wearer. Breathing is assisted by a microfilter unit attached to the front of the helmet, near the radio comm.," Sally said as she gestured to the unit.

"The helmet also has several viewing modes, ranging from infrared to light amplification, ultraviolet, and so forth." Antoine flicked through some of them and gave the people present a first hand glimpse of what it offered. "They control the various commands through a cybernetic implant located at the base of the skull." An x-ray view of a lupine head appeared, with the implant and its mechanical components highlighted. There was a larger object as well, a chip located around the center of the brain. "This also connects to a neural chip that some in here may find familiar. It is almost a carbon replica of the one used to control Norrack ten years ago."

"You mean that the Clones are essentially slaves?" Derrick asked. His breath was coming in short gasps again and he seemed to be struggling to keep himself upright.

"More or less." The coyote's response was a sober one, filled with a subtle tone of grief. "They're implanted with it before they're even born, and probably aren't even aware that it's in there, keeping them in line."

The old artic fox collapsed back in his chair, his head held in his hands. His eyes were hidden, but he shuddered slightly, and those near him could hear faint sobs as they wracked his body.

Antoine shifted his feet a frown on his face, and then returned his attention to the briefing. He spun the armor around to show a large bulge on the back. "As one might expect when dealing with Mandalorians, there is a jetpack on the armor suit. This one is integrated into the armor, and allows for rapid climbs or extended jumps, enabling them to swiftly move across the battlefield. A stinger missile is kept within the center of the pack, in a small, armored silo." The image of the pack split open to reveal its hidden cargo.

"Thus we have the continuation of the Mandalorian tradition of turning their armor suits into walking weapons platforms," Elias muttered as he reached up to rub his temple.

"That's not all," his sister said with a shake of her head. She gestured down to the gauntlets of the armor. "They have a smaller launcher in the right wrist, as well as a high-intensity, plasma flamethrower. The gauntlet on the left has the traditional thek'la punching dagger and a hold out blaster. As you can see, they also carry a telescopic zhaboka vibro blade on their hip, as well as a utility belt for basic supplies and the like. We don't know for sure, but there are also reports of testing for military grade slug throwers and electromagnetic ion weapons for front line use."

Various groans came from the command staff, particularly the older ones that had been present in the Great War. Sally sympathized with them. They likely held memories of fighting Mandalorians, and now here was a new enemy, born from their legacy. Only these ones would be far more deadly…

A bit of despair filled her, and she lowered her head towards the floor. She felt a sigh try to well up inside of her, but she crushed it. The most sobering news was about to come up, and it would not due for her to show how she felt. She also had to fight down the urge to hate these Clones. She couldn't allow herself to, not now. She knew the truth behind their nature, about how much choice they had in this matter.

"This brings us to our final point: who's in charge of this whole movement." She raised her remote and moved to the last file on the holodisc. A figure appeared, clad in black armor, with a mug shot at the top of the hologram being the only clue to his identity.

"ARC-091 Murai, a.k.a. Shadow." Her voice was grave, and she had to repress a shudder. She remembered all too well both the treatment that she had received at the cyborg's hand and the subsequent beating that he had given her rescuer.

A readout appeared, and the princess could see the others shift uncomfortably as they read the ARC's capabilities. The neural lace, the ferrosteel plated bones, the armor that he wore, his weapons load out, and, finally, information on his psychokinetic abilities. The eyes of the men and women present bulged and blinked as they watched video clips of the black hedgehog in action.

With a gesture a group of Clones flew backwards. Fire leapt from nothingness and consumed target dummies. They watched his reflexes as he sent energy bolts back at the auto turrets shooting at him. They saw the speed, the inhuman, unbelievable speed that he could reach as he rushed about an obstacle course.

Still, though obviously nervous, the military officers kept their cool, and she could already see some of them take notes on his abilities. If the furrowed brows were any indication, then it appeared as though they were already troubleshooting ways to defeat the cyborg. So much the better.

"What are the goals of this organization?" a colonel inquired as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"To our knowledge, complete and total domination of Mobius through the use of the Clones," Antoine answered with a shake of his head. "Shadow has been cunning, keeping his forces hidden. Were it not for the luck of the princesses' escapes, it is likely we would have no knowledge of this until they lobbed the first mortars at us. As it stands though, we have a chance, with all of your cooperation, of beating them back. For all their strengths, we still outnumber them by a significant margin."

"What would you have us do?" another general asked.

"We need to let the people know a few of the details, and the threat that we face along with an aggressive recruitment and new training program. In the meanwhile, the mega-corps shall have access to the technical readouts of the Neo Crusader equipment in the hopes that we can catch up in some areas."

"We'll do our best," the Zeo diplomat said as he closed his notepad.

"As will we," the other general said.

As one, both groups rose and took their leave of the room. Sally collapsed back in her seat as they left. She brought her hands up to her forehead and began to massage her temples. The remaining people exchanged glances, and decided that it was perhaps best to leave her be for the moment. One by one, they left the room, and soon the ground squirrel had only her thoughts as company.

Those thoughts were tumbled and chaotic. Images flew around inside of her head. She slumped as she felt the fatigue begin to eat away at her. Her eyelids began to droop and she felt the throbbing behind her skull increase in its ferocity. She let her eyes shut, let the blackness of oblivion try to drown out the migraine that encroached.

* * *

Her eyes opened upon a bizarre landscape. A large castle stood in front of her, a fortress of black stone. It seemed to reach up into infinity, and when she craned her head back as far as she could, she could not see its zenith. A large gated portcullis beckoned to her, like the maw of some monstrous beast. Hesitantly, she took a step forward, and then another, and a third as her determination grew.

Torches crackled within their sconces and cast eerie shadows about the hallway. Her boots echoed within the confines as she stared around. The fur on the back of her neck stood up as she proceeded forth into the heart of this strange place.

A sound reached her ears, and she paused for a moment, her head cocked to one side. It was a harsh, shrieking noise, like the sound that came as a person drug chains across rock.

The passage suddenly opened up into a massive courtyard, and the princess stared around. She knew that the sound had come from within here, but what had it been?

Something flew by her a moment later and smashed into the wall beside her. Sally gasped and turned to face it. It was a figure, clad in black robes that hid the face. The eyes, though, she could see the eyes. They were pure white, and blazed with a manner of inner fire. She took a reflexive step backwards, and brought her fists up to defend herself.

Then she saw the chains that covered the robes. Spiked, stained dark red with blood. The strange phantom ignored her, though. It twisted about and raced towards the center of the courtyard.

She saw him then, another figure, clad as the first had been, minus the chains. As the first closed upon the second, it suddenly blurred away and appeared behind the first one. With a vicious roundhouse, the first one was sent flying into the far wall.

The second one spoke then, a cold, haunting voice that Sally knew too well.

"My, my," the voice of Shadow sneered, "I'll give you credit for persistence if nothing else."

The other robed figure let out a roar that was one part pain, another part rage, and rushed back across. The princess could see fresh blood spilling down the chains. He'd impaled himself when he'd hit the wall. She could see the holes in his robe and the rended flesh beneath.

The unnamed one tried to lash out, to inflict a blow upon his tormentor, but he again failed as Shadow gleefully danced out of the way.

"Poor fool, always second best…" His hands were spread wide and mocking laughter echoed throughout the courtyard. "Face it, Norrack, you're no match for true power."

Lightning split the sky as Norrack charged in a third time. Sally watched, riveted, at what happened next. He almost made it this time, his punches almost landed. At the last possible instant his foe twisted away.

Shadow reached out as he passed and grabbed one of the chains. Too fast for her to watch, he lassoed Norrack in and had wrapped the chain around the other one's neck twice. A fiendish sneer upon his face, the black hedgehog pulled the other cyborg's back, held him close.

"Futile as always. You lose again, faker."

"Sa…" the cyborg choked.

His eyes were fixed upon her, hidden within the depths of his cowl. Whatever he was trying to say, though, would never be said. Shadow ripped the chains hard. There was a choked gurgle, and a shower of blood came from Norrack's throat as the spikes tore across them. He slumped to the ground and the stone underneath him quickly stained red with his life's essence.

* * *

Sally snapped up with a gasp. She looked about in a wild search for the two combatants.

She was back in her room. Bunnie must have come in to check on her and carried her back here. The princess threw her covers off and slid her legs over the side of her bed.

A frown marred her face as she tried to contemplate what had happened. Why was she dreaming about Norrack? What was her subconscious mind trying to tell her?

She thought about the cyborg, about their escape and his treatment of her and her daughter. Saria had told her about the incident at Knothole, and she knew that she owed the ARC trooper a debt for saving her little angel. Still, there was something about his behavior that seemed to indicate a deeper attachment than just friendship.

The way he had shielded the young girl with his own body during their escape, the concern he had felt during the ride back. She had been able to tell he'd been struggling to stay calm.

Sally swatted her mattress in frustration. There was something about him she should have known, something more than he had told her. His evasiveness when questioned about his past, his apparent refusal to remove his helmet and armor when in the sight of others. What was he hiding?

"Come on, Sally-girl," the ground squirrel muttered as she stood up and began to pace her room, "think. You can figure this out."

She replayed everything she'd seen and been through. Shadow's interrogation, Snively's jeering…

As if someone had hit the pause button of a holovid, everything ground to a halt. Shadow… he had referred to Sonic, mentioned about finally having understood why his brother could fall in love with her. There was the subtle clue, though: he'd used present tense, not past. Snively, too, had been about to say something before she'd thrashed him. Something about Sonic being a slave.

The escape…

"_Come on, Sal!"_

Sal… He'd called her Sal… In the heat of the moment, the concern for Saria had caused her to miss that…

It felt like a freight train had just hit her, and everything started to fall into place. Sonic's death, Robotnik's sudden, rejuvenated interest in the ARC project, Norrack's reaction to fighting her and to being ordered to try to kill Tails, the cybernetic limbs…

. . .The eyes.

She felt her legs try to give and she reached out to grab at the side of her bed.

"No…" She felt a tightness clutch at her chest.

No, _no,_ it couldn't be true… Fate could not possibly be that cruel!

Logic continued to damn her pleas, to show little details that she'd seen but never connected. Mecha's reluctance to cooperate with him and the subsequent battle between the two of them. How Norrack had tracked them so easily. Again, she tried to shake it away, to deny that the man she loved could have been tortured like that… forced to commit those atrocities.

Again, she found that she could not.

"Damn you, Julian!" she wept, tears falling down her face.

She drove her right hand into the floor. A crack split the air as the tile shattered.

Her thoughts drifted to Norr… no, to Sonic, and her cries stopped. A fire came into her eyes again, and she rushed over to her closet. Grabbing some cold weather gear and Nicole, she departed her room, heading for the palace garage.

* * *

He furiously worked his blades back and forth. Bolts of light filled the room as Neo Crusaders advanced forward. Assault troopers threw down suppression fire while the others tried to flank him. He threw himself to one side, took cover behind the shattered remnants of a housing project. He leaned out and flicked his arm towards one of the Clones. A small column of white fire burst from nothingness. It hugged the ground, hit the rubble that the soldier was hiding behind, and exploded. The hedgehog heard a scream of surprise, and the Mandalorian staggered backwards, flecks of melted dura-crete clinging to his armor.

An alarm warbled in his helmet. It wasn't the sound of his shields dropping, but of something else.

"Terminate simulation," the cyborg said.

In a flash, the shattered cityscape and the enemy faded from view, leaving just a bare room behind. With a thought, he pulled down security camera feeds. He searched them all, and found nothing until he came to the exterior one for the back entrance.

It was Sally. She was at the cave door, Nicole in hand. The little computer's screen flashed and he realized that she was attempting to hack the security system.

There was something about her owner as well. The princess' face had a determined edge to it, something he had not seen since… since his time at Knothole, when she'd been about ready to take down one of Robotnik's mad schemes. He understood then, and his shoulders began to tremble.

She knew… the secret was out at last.

It was a day that he'd dreaded for years… having to face her like this.

Still, as he watched her open the doors, some part of him wondered if she could save him. If she could free him from this armor that had become both shield and prison.

Sonic reached down into his belt, opened a pouch and fished around inside of it. A moment later he withdrew his hand, and opened it. The old ring lay battered and charred within his palm. He slowly closed his fingers around it, and turned his head towards the ceiling.

* * *

&

* * *

Alright, hope that was okay, and that the technobabbly mathematics didn't bug you all. I also hope that I didn't rush the last couple of scenes, but if there was a problem, let me know, so that I can correct it. I do want this chapter to be a good.

As usual, feedback, ideas, comments, constructive criticism (I love this) and or flames are all welcomed.

Thank you all so very much, and I wish you a Merry Christmas. May tomorrow be filled with family, friends, good health, and cheer. As for me, I'm getting a laptop with a photoshop program, so I might finally be able to get some art of characters and the like out (wish me luck).


	11. Man In The Iron Mask

Good New Years to everyone! I hope your holiday was fun, and relaxing. I'm sorry it's been a while since I've updated, but we had company come down from Massachusetts and I've been a little occupied. Couple that with some writers block, and things haven't been hot for my writing (I am actually updating from the FSU writing lab). I want everyone to extend an extra special thanks to Cyrex, who gave me a big hand with one part of this chapter. Hopefully, the rest of it is good enough that his advice and council was not wasted upon me.

Again, to everyone who has read the story, I thank you for the time and effort you have put into this. To those who have reviewed, I hope I have responded adequately, and that I haven't driven you away with my drivel.

Lawyers- You know the drill. I no own, you no sue.

* * *

&

* * *

Man in the Iron Mask

She moved deeper into the underground stronger hold, her azure eyes on the look out for the wraith that resided within Stonehenge.

Sally Acorn would have appeared to all the world to be the very definition of the word calm at the current moment, but inside she was anything but. Her thoughts tumbled about and anxiety ran rampant within her. How should she go about this? If Sonic really was Norrack, and there was still a doubt or two that lingered , then how would he react to her suddenly confronting him after all these years? What guilt and pains did he have shackled within his own mind? What scars did he have after nearly ten years of being trapped within himself?

The hairs on the back of her neck raised up and she paused. It was that strange feeling that she was being watched again. She looked around. Nothing. She knew the feeling, though. She'd felt it back at the Neo Crusader base… had thought it had been Shadow trying to torment her from a distance.

But it hadn't been him, it had been the other ARC, it had been Sonic.

The ground squirrel took a deep breath and allowed herself to relax. This place was massive, and the person she sought could have been anywhere. But, if Sonic was watching her now, how far away could he be? If he, like Shadow, had some psionic capabilities, how far could he project them?

The princess frowned and crossed her arms. Her booted foot began to tap against the metal floor. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and then opened them again. A door behind her suddenly opened, and she twisted about. She'd half expected the large cyborg to confront her then, but she discovered it was just one of the maintenance droids.

"Hey," she called to it.

The droid paused and twisted around on its wheeled base. It chirped at her, and if it had had a face, the princess knew it would be twisted into a frown of curious irritation.

"Where can I find Norrack?" She knew that these models, even if they spoke in their own computer tongue, could understand what she was saying.

The machine warbled and twisted around again before it began to move back through the door from which it had come. Sally didn't know if it had opted to ignore her or was telling her to follow, these Great War model robots could be notoriously fickle at times, but she decided to follow it. It couldn't be any worse than wandering around this facility until Sonic decided to come find her.

Ahead of her, the droid twisted and turned down the various corridors. The princess vaguely recognized this kind of place. It was a barracks for housing and training soldiers. Somehow, it made sense that the hedgehog would be found here. He was, after all, a born… no, that wasn't the right word, unfortunately… he was a created soldier, a living weapon brought into existence for the purpose of ushering in a new age and breed of infantry unit. He and his brother had been callously created in order to cause so much death and destruction that the Overlanders would have had no choice but to surrender.

A tear tried to form in the corner of her eye as she thought about it. About him…

A door in front of her hissed open and she saw a vast room. She recognized it. A large holounit made for training soldiers. It could create anything from plains to mountains, desert to tundra.

But her attention wasn't focused upon the room, so much as what was inside of it. She saw him there. His back was to her, and there was something about him she could immediately put her finger on. His shoulders were slumped, his head bowed, and his right hand was clenched around something. There was a chain hanging out from between his fingers, the ferrosteel caught the lights from above and sent a small sparkle through the room.

She took another hesitant step towards him. The door closed behind her as the droid left. It was just the two of them now. The princess's mouth was suddenly dry, and had to swallow. She steeled herself, no turning back now.

"How did you figure it out?" The cyborg's tone was like his stance: broken, defeated. "Did Bunnie tell you?"

"You… you called me Sal," she paused to swallow again, "I'd, forgotten about it until now."

"Always the little slipups that get me." Bitter laughter followed the remark. "How many times did you warn me that forgetting some little detail would get me hurt?"

"Sonic…" She walked up behind him, placed a hand upon his left shoulder. He recoiled as if struck by a vibro blade, twisted away from her violently and spun around to face her.

"How can you call me that?" he asked. His voice was ragged, cracked. He clenched his right fist, brought it up to his visored face. "After all I've done, after all the death and destruction that I've caused? Have you forgotten what I did nine years ago?"

"That wasn't—"

"It was!" Sonic cut her off with a slicing motion. "How many times did I try to fight that chip's control of me? How many times I failed… how many died because of it? Because I was too weak?" He stared down at his hands, stared at them as if they were still coated in the blood of his many victims. "I killed so many… I nearly killed all of you… Tails… you… Saria…"

Sally took another step towards him. She would not let him keep this up. He would see the truth.

"That's not true," she said as she stared right into his face. She forced herself to look past that mirrored computer interface. "That was Robotnik, not you. You never hurt us. You've fought for us; you've protected us from everything, even from that monster you were turned into. Listen to me!" She reached out and grabbed the sides of his helmet, forced him to meet her eyes. "Don't keep doing this to yourself. Let me in, let me help you! You're not going to keep facing this alone!" She paused, and she felt the tears try to well up inside her again. "Let me see the real you… let me see the man I fell in love with all those years ago… the man I still love and who's underneath this shell."

She let go of him and took a step back. Her heart was hammering inside of her chest, but she knew that he had to make the next move.

For some moments, Sonic merely stood where he was. His gaze drifted between her, the princess that was trying to save him, and her right arm.

In that one moment Sally wished she could go and rip the blasted cybernetic limb off. How much agony was that piece of hardware causing him?

He took a step back, and turned around. The princess felt hope begin to die within her chest and she bowed her head.

Then she heard a hissing sound and looked up at him. A jet of pressurized air shot out of the side of his helmet. He reached up, and the armored headgear came off a moment later. The blue hedgehog knelt down and placed both the helmet and whatever it was that he'd held in his hand upon the ground.

Next came the caster and harness for his kaiburr swords, followed by the massive utility belt and various other weapons that he had strapped onto his Aratech suit. Then the torso armor came off as he opened it along a seam that Sally had never even known was there.

She had to stifle a gasp as the primary bit of the armor came off. The scars… there were so many of them. His fur was covered in the discolorations, but most of them followed a uniform pattern: his skeletal system. She brought a hand to her mouth and images flashed through her mind. She saw him strapped to a table, helpless and unable to move as he was sliced open and ferrosteel grafted to his bones.

There was a series of small holes in his back as well, right up the spine. Small metal studs surrounded them. The neural interfaces for the power armor that he wore. What allowed him to link up and control its functions with his very thoughts.

His extremities became exposed next and the ground squirrel saw the cybernetic limbs for the first time. They were not like Bunnie's. Hers had been designed as a utility droid's, large and bulky, with the purpose of heavy lifting in mind. Sonic's were streamlined and melded perfectly into his flesh and fur. Had they been covered in clothing or the like, one might never have been able to guess they were artificial.

His left arm reached up and yanked a small bit of cord free. His quills had been tied up in something that resembled a ponytail, and they were now free. They were longer than she remembered, stretched down to about the small of his back, covering his scars. With his armor laid out at his feet, he stood once more. His back was still to her, and she had to resist the urge to go up and turn him around. This was his decision, in the end, and she couldn't force his hand, no mater how badly she might have wanted to.

He turned.

She almost took an involuntary step backwards.

His face was so like Shadow's that it was disturbing. The same scar pattern, the same white eyes; eyes that despite their lack of pupils seemed to bore into her. Several other scars crisscrossed his visage, and he seemed haggard. The fur along his jaw line was somewhat ragged and unkempt, which gave him a feral and predatory look.

For a moment, she just stared at him. Sonic closed his eyes and lowered his head, his ears drooped. He looked like a wounded animal even more now, and it tore at the princess heart.

"Do you see what I've become?" Sonic's voice was flat, dead. "What I've been reduced to, the monster I've turn into?"

"What I see is a man who buries and chains himself with guilt over something that is not his fault," Sally replied as she stepped forward and placed both hands on his shoulders. "I see someone who's been trapped in Hell for nine years, but who's kept going in spite of it. I see an angel that's kept watch over us, even when there was nothing to force him to."

He looked into her eyes, stared down at her with an expression that was unreadable. Ever so slowly cracks appeared in the iron mask that he wore upon and within himself. The cracks grew, and he began to tremble. The air seemed to rumble in sympathy with him. Then they reached a point where they could not be closed, and shattered.

With a cry of agony, the hedgehog fell to his knees, and a shockwave flew out from him. Sally was blown backwards as it hit her and she came to a skidding halt some fifteen feet away. She got up with a groan and looked over to the man that held her heart.

He was curled up in a ball, his quills stuck out, like a child that had just awoken from a nightmare and didn't want to face the world, afraid that the terror of the dream would manifest itself.

She crawled over to him. Silent sobs wracked his body, and tears trickled down his scarred face. A single question went through her head: why? Why had Sonic been the one to suffer this fate? Why had it been him that had been forced to watch as a prisoner within his own mind as he'd slaughtered former comrades? Why had he been torn away from his friends and family in what should have been the happiest moments of his life, and thrust into this decade long nightmare?

Sally reached out and gently pulled the hedgehog into her lap. She encircled her arms around him, and felt his heartbeat against her chest.

"Let it out, Sonic, let it out," she whispered to him. Her voice was soft and gentle, like it had been years ago when Tails had been a child, his dreams haunted by vague memories of what had happened in Robotropolis.

Sally reached down and stroked Sonic's head, pulled him closer and held him as tightly as she dared. Tears formed in her own eyes as she felt his sobs reverberate through herself. She felt his drip against her fur, and she looked down at it, at the darkened patch on her arm.

How long had it been since he cried? How long had the self loathing and hatred and sorrow been bottled up inside of him? How long had he stoically kept himself behind that masked helmet?

The difference was harsh and glaring, the wounded young man, trapped within the body of a cybernetic super soldier. He'd become what he'd been born to be… a warrior that hid his scars from the world, hid himself in shame and fear.

The princess rocked the ARC trooper back and forth. He made no struggle against her, just continued to weep, to bleed out a decade's worth of pain and anguish.

* * *

She had no idea how long it had been, hours, perhaps? When he finally stopped and lay limply in her arms, curled up like a child.

"It wasn't your fault," she whispered to him, a hand turned his gaze to hers. "Please… understand that."

"You… you don't understand…" His voice was weak, broken.

"Then let me… show me!" There was a pleading tone to her voice, a desperation that he had never heard before… it scared him.

"What do you mean?" His gaze was at the floor again, unable to bring himself to stare the woman he loved in the eye.

"You can go inside a person's head, sort through their thoughts, right?" She asked, and got an affirmative nod. "Can you make the link work the other way?"

"Yes," he said, his head bowed low.

She lifted up his chin, forced his white eyes to meet her blue ones. There was steel in her gaze, one he remembered very well, but there was softness present as well. It wasn't anger… it was a need to understand.

A war raged on inside of the blue hedgehog. A hand slowly closed into a fist as he contemplated the possibilities. He could show her… but would she despise him then? Hate him for his weakness. And could he taint her like that? Memories that scarred the soul…

"Please." She looked him in the eye again.

His resolve wavered, teetered upon the brink. Then the last of the walls collapsed and he stared back. He felt the world around him going dark as he lost himself in the eyes of the woman he loved.

Both the Sally and Sonic slumped to the ground a moment later, as they fell into the oblivion of another world.

* * *

She tried to open her eyes, but found that she could not. Her whole body ached, and a pain like nothing else coursed through her like some hellish river. She couldn't feel her arms or her legs, and it hurt to breathe.

She felt something on top of her, metal by the feel of it. It cut into her skin and she could feel blood running down her back. She wanted to cry out in pain, but her lungs refused to allow that. She could barely get enough air into them as it was.

There was a slight whirring sound. It was faint, distant, yet close at the same time. The sound was familiar, what was it? An image came to her mind, a small machine, built upon treads, with two arms and a visor across a saucer shaped face. A Tech Bot, that was what was making the racket. Why was one here? What was it doing?

The noise stopped, and for half a second, the blinded girl wondered what it was doing. Fear clutched at her, mindless, nameless, feral.

"Life sign detected," it droned. "Scans indicate match with priority one alert, requesting Swat Bot assistance."

The fear blossomed to a whole new level, and she tried to move, to thrash about and get free of this metal cocoon. All she did was gouge herself more. The blood was everywhere, so much of it. How was she still alive?

Thunderous clanking filled the air and a light so bright that it blinded her filled her vision. A choked cry came from her throat. She tasted blood. They'd found her…

Darkness came again.

A blur of half memories and hazy images followed. Distorted voices filled her ears, and she had a distinct feeling of floating. She still couldn't feel her limbs. The animalistic fear still clawed at the back of her mind. They had caught her. They had her.

Her body wasn't as sore as it had been, and the slashes on her back no longer throbbed and bled… a bacta tank. She was being healed. Why?

A flash. Pain, liquid fire running through her veins. Something cutting, slicing into her, putting something in her flesh. Wanted to scream, had to. Couldn't.

Another flash, and she found herself upright again. Robotnik and Snivley were both on the other side of an energy containment field. The fear was still there in the back of her mind, but for the moment, rage had overpowered it. She slammed a fist, a metal fist, into the field, and screamed in a voice that was not her own that she would rip the overlord's heart right out of his chest for what he had done to her.

A laugh and a mocking reply were his retorts. Snivley pressed something on a control remote, and then there was pain unlike anything she had ever felt before in her whole life. The feeling of a thousand fiery knives slashing away at her brain. A scream tore its way from her throat. She pounded her head against the field. She wanted it to end, anything to make it stop. Voices screamed in her ears.

Goddess, why wouldn't they let it end? Roboticization, death, anything but whatever in the Nine Hells this was.

Darkness rose up, but it did not end the pain, the screaming voices that raged within her mind. She tried once again to scream, for someone, anyone, to come and save her, to rescue her from this hell that she'd become trapped in.

No one answered… no one came.

She opened her eyes again. It was dark, no light entered the room that she was in, but she could still see. The air around her was clean, sterile. There was a helmet on her head. She looked down to find that her hands, legs, and her body were encased in some manner of armored suit.

Her spine ached and she had the feeling that she was somehow connected to this thing that was around her. She tried to move, but found herself restrained. However, there was a hiss, and the restraints soon popped off. She took a step forward, and almost stumbled. Whatever it was that had been done to her was wearing off, but the after affects were still there.

The voices were silent now, and she breathed a sigh of relief. Now she just had to figure out how to get this helmet off.

But as she reached up to try to remove it, a door hissed open and light flooded in. The visor across her helmet immediately polarized to adjust to the sudden change in illumination. There was a room ahead of her, large and circular. A way out, perhaps?

She walked forward, her eyes darting about. Her fur stood on end and she felt her body tense. There was something wrong here.

"Welcome, my dear hedgehog," the voice of Julian echoed over a hidden loudspeaker.

She snapped around, her gaze flying about as she tried to locate her antagonist. She felt something as well, and out of the corner of her eye, saw a strange gun up on her shoulder. It moved with her gaze, and she felt a bit of nervousness claw its way up her spine. Why had she been given a weapon like this? What was that fiend's plan?

"Where are you hiding?" the voice that was hers and not hers growled.

"Where I can see you." The tone was chiding, mocking. "Tell, me, hedgehog, do you know anything about a project named 'ARC'."

"Should I, Buttnik?" She kept her eyes peeled. There had to be some way out of here.

"So, the old fool never told you…" Laughter split the air again, and rage came into her once more.

"Let's hear your dastardly plan, then, bullet head. I don't have all day, and I know you're just dying to spill the beans." She threw her arms out in an exaggerated sigh.

"I know you don't have much of a mind for this sort of thing, rodent, so I'll make it short and sweet," Julian snickered. "Suffice to say that during the Great War, the king and a few others got it into their heads to try and win the day by creating an army of unstoppable cyborg fighting machines. These Advanced Recon Commandos would have ushered in a new age of combat. They would have been inhumanely strong, have reflexes almost a dozen times faster than the Mobian norm, and have been able to put up with abuse that would have killed ordinary soldiers with no trouble whatsoever. They would have been armed to the teeth with state of the art weaponry and encased armor that would have practically made them walking tanks as well.

"In the end, though, for 'ethical reasons,' the project was shut down. I suppose it's to my advantage." His voice sounded nostalgic, almost grudgingly so. "If there had been a force of them around, it's possible my coup might not have gone quite as smoothly as it did. You see, these soldiers would have been so powerful that… special requirements, would be necessary to ensure their loyalty to the people of Mobius, and to no one else."

"Are you going somewhere with this, because I still have to pay you back for what you did to me," that distorted voice snarled again.

"Yes, rodent, I am. You see, while the ARC project might have been cancelled, there were two ARCs that were created, prototypes designed to see if the genetic modifications would work… Care to take a guess as to where I'm going with this, Sonic?"

"I'm not in the mood for games, Buttnik, so if you could kindly hurry up."

"My boy, you mean to tell me you have seriously never wondered where your speed comes from? Why you are so strong? Why your rings only work for you? A hundred questions that you could ask, and not one of them ever occurred to you?" He paused for a moment, and a slight snort echoed over the intercom. "You are one of those prototypes, Sonic. You're a living weapon, whose purpose in life was to kill."

The prickling fear worked its way back up her spine. She tried to deny it. He was lying. This was another one of his tricks or mind games. Just had to be strong. Had to ignore him and find a way out of this. She'd done it before, she could do it again, reduced to cybernetic limbs or not.

"I wonder what Sir Charles would say if he could see his little pet 'creation' now?"

"Shut up!" the voice hissed, cold poison within it.

"If he could see what you were about to become."

A door hissed open and a group of Swat Bots walked in, a young mouse held between them. She shook visible, and her face was streaked with tears. There was a silent plead in the eyes, a plea for mercy.

"How I wish he could be here to see this. Watch as his beloved little hedgehog is transformed into what he was meant to be."

The girl looked up at Sally, and for a split second, there was a faint shimmer of hope within those eyes.

Then the voices came, and the pain. She reached up and grabbed her head, thrashed around. Wanted it to stop. Wanted it to end. What did it take? She was being told to do something, but what? She couldn't concentrate through the agony. She would die if this kept up, she knew it.

Then the voices stopped. The pain faded. Sally blinked a few times to clear the spots from her vision, and took a deep, ragged breath.

"Well done, Sonic, well done," Robotnik cooed. "Took a little longer than I expected, but you finally wised up."

"What?" she muttered, and looked forward.

Terror surged through her heart again. The mouse girl was impaled upon talons set into her left arm. Blood was everywhere, on the claws, her hands, the Swat Bots, and the ground. She stared into the dead girl's eyes. They were a mask of pain… and 'why' seemed to be written into them.

A cry of fear erupted from her throat, and she fell backwards, desperate to get away.

"No…" the voice that was not hers begged.

Robotnik cackled like a madman, his voiced echoed throughout the room and her head.

* * *

It continued, day after day, victim after victim. Always, she tried to resist. Always, she failed.

The slayings grew more vicious as the days wore on, as what little resistance she could mount against the voices crumbled. A decapitation. A disembowelment. Slicing the femoral artery and watching the victim bleed to death. Ripping out a heart and holding it in front of the person's eyes. Tearing out a spinal column like the person was fish.

Then it happened. She stopped fighting. She broke. The voices ravaged her mind, robbed her of her memories, and then… then the most horrifying thing of all happened.

She began to enjoy it. Not so much the brutality of her work, but rather, the rewards that came from it, the praise that Julian heaped upon her whenever she killed something, or whenever she destroyed a Freedom Fighter squadron in a holodeck.

Then came the first real test: Gunter's squadron. Sally ripped through them like a vibro blade through butter, all the while drinking in the accolades that Robotnik whispered into her ear.

The attack on Knothole was a blur. Slaughtering people, blowing up Wraiths, destroying the command hut. Then the ensuing hunt through the woods. There were times when she resisted the commands of the voices, tried to find another way, tried to remember something she knew she had forgotten, but in the end, she always did as she was told.

It all slowed down when it came to the climax. She saw herself through the shattered visor, the conflict as blade and claws crossed. The gun exploding, her being blinded. A scream of pain. A scream she knew she'd heard before.

It was then that something else had surged forward, and she remembered. Even then, she was too weak to fight back. She couldn't overcome the compulsion. She'd tried, tried so hard it made her want to sob in despair, but she had lost the fight. A final, plea to her foe, silent and desperate. The message got through. The wounded princess charged and leapt.

There was a sense of vertigo and then she was falling.

* * *

Years passed in seconds. Julian's death, the exile into Stonehenge, knowledge that made her gasp. Loneliness and guilt mounted up, driven home by hellish nightmares and flashbacks. Thoughts of suicide became normal, became welcomed. A decision to end it all, to drown out the memories before what was left of her sanity was stolen away.

Then something changed. She saw his first encounter with Saria. Hope came back, a faint candlelight in the darkness, so weak that a sturdy breeze might blow it out. But it was there, and that flame grew as the days passed.

She observed from the shadows, watched unseen as the girl grew up next to her mother. Always watching, never approaching.

Then another incident, some years later. A run home after a day of watching. A prickling sensation in the back of her mind. Someone watching _her_. She stopped and stared around, her eyes on the woods. A loud racket, armored boots upon leaves. She spun and drew her sword while unsheathing her talons.

The sight that met her eyes made her gasp. She saw herself, or someone just like her emerge from the brush.

"There you are," the other armored figure said, a smile in his voice.

"Who are you?" She was wary; there was something about this individual, something that didn't feel right.

"Someone who knows all about you," the enigma replied as he crossed his arms. "I know who you are, who you were, and what you are becoming."

"You still haven't answered my question." She assumed a combat stance, left fist cocked back, right hand a held a little further out, ready to ignite her kaiburr sword.

"No, I suppose I haven't," the man responded. His tone was still friendly, but there was still something about him that disturbed her. A feeling in the back of her head that warned her to be on guard; his body language, and his equipment, there was something not right here. How did he get his hands on an Aratech suit? She was wearing the only one in existence supposedly. And those were kaiburr swords on his back. "My name is Shadow, I'm certain you've heard of it… brother?"

Recognition sparked. The files made mention to another prototype, but there had never been any information on what had happened to him. Now her sibling stood before her. As if to try to prove his point, his helmet hissed and he removed it. His scars were identical to hers, his eyes now the same milky white.

Questions bombarded her mind. Where had he been? Why was he revealing himself now? Where had he gotten the equipment necessary to make what he was wearing? Finally, how had he known where she had been?

"Confused? I'm not surprised. I'm officially listed as deceased." A smile was on his face, but it was cold and did not reach to those eyes. "I've been looking for you, little brother. I have a need for you."

"What do you mean?" She couldn't understand this. It was too much too fast. Neurons fired like machineguns within her brain in a vain attempt to make heads or tails of this strange, surreal scenario.

"You've felt it, haven't you?" he asked, his head cocked to one side. "The power beginning to grow inside of you. Their attempts at genetically engineering us to be the next evolution in warfare turned out to be a little more literal than they'd expected, didn't it?"

"What if I have?"

"I can teach you to control that, brother. You've been crippled, but I can help you rise up and become greater than you ever were before." He extended a hand.

"What would this 'power' be used for," the voice that was hers and not asked. It sounded too good to be true.

"I would think it obvious, Sonic." Shadow seemed genuinely shocked. "Taking our rightful place and restoring order to this chaotic world."

"Another coup d'état?" Sally felt fury rising inside of her.

"If necessary, but coup d'état is such a vicious term… I would prefer something more elegant and refined. Say, 'regime change', or 'revolution.'" He chuckled in a wicked manner. "Those Acorn fools don't deserve stewardship of this planet. I intend to put it in the hands of those who are a little more… gifted."

She gave no warning, no indication of her intentions, she just lunged at him. Before she'd gotten halfway to him, his weapons were out, both blades ignited and glowing furiously. Blades and claws clashed with such swiftness that the untrained observer could barely have followed them.

Sally felt surprise inside of her. His reactions were faster than hers, like he knew it was coming. She lashed out a dozen times in the period of three seconds. Ever time her assault was defeated. She tried t fall inwards, to call upon her own ability to see, but found that she could not. What was going on? Then she felt something… alien, inside of her, a consciousness that was not her own. Her brother was doing this, he was suppressing her own abilities.

She lost the offensive a moment later, as he strikes were knocked wide and she herself blown off her feet. There was a humming sound, followed by a pulsing explosion and she couldn't feel her left arm. She looked down. It was gone past the elbow, claws and all. The kaiburr energy blade had cut through shield, zersium, and the ferrosteel arm like it had never even been there.

She hit the ground hard, and there was a blade at her throat a moment later. "I understand your loyalty, brother, and I commend you for it." Shadow said as he reached down and picked his helmet back up. He slid it down over his head and it sealed itself to the rest of the armor. "But your loyalty is wasted upon them. They are not worthy of you. You, like I, can become a god among insects, and I can help you."

There was a loud roar and a ship descended into the forest. It hovered up at the top of the trees, some fifty feet off of the ground.

"I'll leave you to think about it. Consider my proposal, brother, and consider it well… for we are the future of this world."

With that he leapt up, bounded back and forth between the trees, and disappeared into the back of the sleek craft, before it rocketed away at hypersonic speeds.

Then things blurred forward again. Four more fights. Kicked over a railing and falling a hundred feet. Blown through a wall by a telekinetic attack. Nearly cut off at the kneecaps and retreating. Being nailed by repeated overcharge shots and fleeing away with her suit's generator about to overload and go critical.

Always the despair was there, the knowledge of being outclassed. Always, though, memories of the princess, of Saria, of Bunnie, Antoine, Rotor, Tails, and the others would surface. Attacks became ever more ferocious, until Gamma Base.

A kilometer wide fireball rose into the air and pain lanced through her skull. So much death, all caused by her.

Another flash, another scene. Snow on the ground, a river, Saria going through the ice. A desperate bid to save the girl, to protect her daughter. Prayers of a grateful individual that no permanent harm came.

Then a surprise: for the first time in years, joy. The little girl wanted to be her friend. Playful games of tag and snowball fights out in the woods. Making a snowman, and hide and seek.

Darkness began to engulf her, and the last thing she remembered seeing was Bunnie charging out of the woods, her hold-out blaster blazing.

* * *

She awoke with a gasp. Her heart hammered within her chest as she looked over to Sonic. The hedgehog was slowly rising, his gaze upon the ground. Once again she reached out and cupped his chin, lifted his eyes to meet hers. He tried to resist, she could feel it, but in the end he surrendered to her.

Words tried to come out, words of solace and comfort; reassurance for his battered spirit. None came, none could force their way past the lump that had formed in her throat. She just threw her arms around the man she loved then.

"Why don't you hate me?" His words were like a child's. Confused, unsure, small.

"Because it wasn't your fault," she answered again.

"How can you say that? How can you?" His tears stained her vest and the fur on her shoulder. "You know how it was… He was praising me for what I was doing and I ate it up!"

"That wasn't you, Sonic," she whispered as she cradled the back of his head, tears in her own eyes. She felt a metallic bump underneath his quills, the access port where all the information had been uploaded into his cybernetic mind. "It was the chip they put inside of you. I don't blame you, and don't, for one single second, think that I hate you."

She picked up his head, looked into his eyes. "Nobody hates you, nobody that knows the truth, they hate what was done to you."

She felt the sensation in her mind again. He was inside. The feeling began to withdraw, and Sonic's face looked apologetic, like he'd done it without thinking. She didn't let him withdraw, and instead thrust an image upon him. It was one of her and everyone else. They stood at a table, their heads bowed in silence. Grief was etched into their faces. In the center of the table was a hologram of him and the rest of them. In silence, glasses were raised, a toast to a fallen hero.

Another one followed it, Saria asking her mother and Tails about what her father had been like. It was followed by another, and another…

"Don't you see?" the princess asked, her tone soft. "We need you… Saria needs you… I need you. Come back to us, Sonic."

"I…" he looked back down, his mind a tumble.

It was like he was about to fall. A bridge was collapsing, and the girl in front of him had her hand out, offering to save him. It became so crystal clear then. He could reach out and take it, save himself. Or he could fall into darkness, and continue as he was.

Moments passed, a minute that seemed an eternity. The flame within his heart flicked, as if fading. Images flashed through his mind. He saw Knothole, as it had been years ago. Pristine, unravaged by his hand, beautiful. He saw the woman in front of him as she had been twelve years ago. She was sitting on a stump, facing the Ring Pool.

He snuck up behind her, tapped her gently on the shoulder. She turned to face him as a breeze caught her crimson hair. With a roguish wink, he leaned down and gave her a flower that he had picked earlier. Sally's laughter split the air and she gave him a thank you. He simply smiled in return.

He remembered that night… the soccer match with her and Tails, the walk around the village, the time they'd spent with each other. Holding her close, talking softly, dreaming of the future. It was the happiest day of his life.

The flame burst anew, and he looked up at the girl standing up above him. He thrust his hand out, and she grabbed it. Servos whirred as Sally yanked Sonic to his feet. There was a triumphant smile upon her face, and she threw her arms around him.

"There's the Sonic I know and love." Her tone was quiet, and she patted him on the back and listened to his heartbeat.

* * *

She could not recall how long they'd stood their, embraced as they were, but when they finally pulled away, she saw him smile. His face was scarred and damaged, his eyes unnerving to the layman, but his smile… his smile was still the same as it had always been.

"Sal," he said, his eyes on hers, his hands gently cradling her smaller ones, "I'm… thank you."

"What's a friend and soulmate for?" She flashed him a coy smile.

The next thing she knew their lips met. For the first time in nine years, they shared a kiss, felt each other's heartbeat through their chest. Sonic's hand closed around her back, as it had those years ago. When they broke away, an expression of joy was on her face.

Slowly they broke apart and walked over to wear Sonic had placed his armor. The princess knelt down next to the pile, and noticed the chain he had set down. The ring was there, charred and battered. Curious, she picked it up and looked at it.

"Is this?" She turned to face him.

"I planned on giving it to you in a little while, once we'd taken Robotnik down." He rubbed the back of his head in a sheepish manner, and the ground squirrel swore that she saw a blush begin to form on his face. She looked back down at the ring. It was blackened and reflected no light, but as she stared at it, thought of the hands that shaped it, hands that were normally impatient and twitchy. The many hours that Sonic must have spent on this.

Sally moved the chain around, found what she was looking for, and undid the catch. Then she slid the ring down onto her third finger. The little circle fit snugly around the cybernetic digit, and despite its battered condition, she had never seen anything quite as beautiful as it was.

She looked back up at Sonic, whose eyes were wide as he stared at her. She held the hand up. "A promise, to both of ourselves."

He nodded his head, before he walked up and embraced her again. For the first time in years, hope flared within him. It would not be easy, he knew, but now he realized that the two of them could rebuild and reforge everything they had once had. They held each other close, until something pulled them apart.

The door hissed open, and a droid came in, cheerfully chirping in its own language. It spotted the two, and a loud bleep of alarm came from its vocal emitter. It promptly wheeled around and left the room. Two startled and confused Mobians remained behind, both of them blushing furiously.

"Well, that was awkward." Sonic muttered. "I feel like I'm a teenager again." He shook his head and looked back over to Sally. "You should probably be getting back soon. Considering what happened the other day, I imagine palace security is going to go batty when they can't find you."

He was right unfortunately. A frown came over her face.

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I also can't help but wonder how we're going to explain this to Saria."

"She's a smart girl, just like her mother," he gave a smile at the memory of the girl as he reached down and began to suit up again. "I'm worried about everyone else… I don't think I can face them all… not yet."

"We'll take it one step at a time." The princess knelt down next to him, placed her hands upon his shoulders again. "One step at a time."

"Okay." He nodded, and then frowned for a moment. "If it's possible, though, when things calm down… do you… do you think you could bring Saria and… and my father here?"

"Uncle Chuck?" A smile came to her face again. "I'm certain he'd be overjoyed."

"Thanks."

* * *

The LAAT set down again, as it had a couple of days before. This time though, the ship came to a full stop, and the two Mobians came out of the cockpit side by side. As Sonic opened the side hatch, he turned around to face the woman behind him. The woman he loved with all his heart and soul. The woman who had saved him, time and again. Once more they threw their arms around each other in a fierce embrace.

"You take care of yourself, you hear me," Sally said with a fierce glare in her eye.

"I will." Sonic nodded. His tone was sober, deadly serious.

One final kiss, and then she pushed her hover cycle off, started it up, and raced back towards the city. Sonic stood where he was, partially out of the open door, until she was out of sight.

He walked back up to the cockpit, put on his helmet, and lifted off.

Once he got back , there was some data that he needed to try and slice, to see if there was anything useful from it. As he stared in the direction of Mobotropolis, though, he thought about what had transpired over the past few hours, a smile came over his face. His brother might have been out there, might have still been the better fighter and had an army of hundreds of thousands of ruthless Mandalorian clones at his back, but Sonic still felt happier than he had in years.

Maybe, just maybe, thing were finally going to work out.

* * *

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Okay, hope that was worth it, and not overly over the top. Next chapter's already in the works, so it shouldn't take quite as long to get it turned out. As always, if you have any advice, ideas, or things of that nature (I even take flames, as my Dorm gets surprisingly cold during the winter) feel free to let me know.

With that, I bid you all farewell, and hope that until next time, fate and life treat you well.


	12. Growing Up

Hello again, everyone. This one's a little shorter than normal, but I figured it better to do it like this. I have an absolute ton of work coming up, so I might be buried for a while and I didn't want to leave you guys hanging like last time.

To all who have read, I hope that you have enjoyed the story up to this point, and that I can continue to please you. Those of you who have reviewed, you have my heartfelt thanks, and I hope that I have been able to answer your questions and reviews adequately.

Lawyers: As per usual, I claim sovereignty over nothing but the characters and other such items that are of my own creation, and in no way, form, or fashion do I intend to profit from this endeavor.

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* * *

Growing Up

"Just sign here and that's the last of it," the man said as he slipped the electronic pad across to the boy.

Tails looked down at it for one split second, and then signed out his full name. There was a burst of pride that swelled within him as he did so. He was taking his steps into a larger world. The future was uncertain, and it would be false to say that he wasn't nervous, but this was in his blood, his past, and now, his future. He rose from his seat and gave the man across me him a salute.

"Your hand's a little too close to your head, but they'll fix that in basic." A deep laugh finished the sentence, and the sergeant held out a hand, which Tails took. The man's grip was firm around his gloves, strong, but not crushingly so. "You'll be shipping out in forty eight hours for the Station Square garrison. Use the time you've got left wisely, Private Prower."

"I plan to," the young man responded with a nod as he picked up a duffle bag that contained a uniform, boots, and the other materials he'd need.

With that he turned and left the man's office, being careful not to knock over anyone in the massive line just outside the door.

The crisp January air nipped at his face, and he huddled a little deeper inside of his coat. He turned, headed for home, and wondered how his parents would take this.

* * *

Rosemary took a step backwards and collapsed into a loveseat. She said nothing, just looked up at her son. She was pale underneath her fur, and his father wasn't looking much better off. Amadeus put an arm around his wife as they both looked at their boy, at the green and black camo duffle bag that he had over his shoulder. 

"When did you make the decision?" The older fox pinched the bridge of his muzzle and looked down at the floor.

"Three days ago," the kit said. "I can't just stand by and let this happen, dad. It's just like when you went and signed up back in the Great War."

"Yes, but I signed up to face Overlanders, son… not Mandos." His voice was hesitant… fearful. It was a tone that Tails had never heard him use before, in all the years that he'd been with his father. "Miles, I've fought Mandalorians, I was at both Dagon's Peak and Malachor, and let me tell you," he looked up at the boy, a haunted look to his eyes, "they are ferocious, smart, and they do not know how to die. I saw them keep on fighting after having arms and legs blown off. I saw rockets rip them open and tear them in half, and they still kept shooting until they finally bled out."

"And Uncle Derrick?" Tails cocked his head.

"If he's on your side, a Mandalorian will fight to the death for your cause and to protect someone he's sworn to with his life. But Goddess, son, they're the last thing you want as an enemy. And you'll be facing an army of them."

"Do you have to do this?" Rosemary finally spoke, her look pleading with her son, her only child to reconsider. "I know what's going on, Tails, I know how important this is, but does it have to be you? There are others—"

"And what if everyone made that choice? Thought that 'there would be others?'" Tails' tone was harsh, and he winced as he realized how it had come out. "I'm sorry mom, I know how hard this is, but this is something that I _have_ to do. I grew up with a tyrant lording over us, with extermination just a breath away. I couldn't do anything back then, but I'm not just going to sit back and let it happen again. I won't let my kids grow up like that." His ears were folded back against the top of his skull as his finished and his hackles raised.

His parents said nothing, but they looked up at him, and though there was fear in their eyes, he saw admiration as well. They were afraid of him going off to fight such a threat, but at the same time, there was pride there too. The young man got down on one knee, and placed a hand on his mother's shoulder.

"I learned it from you and dad, mom. You helped make me who I am today. You, Aunt Sally, Derrick, everyone. And I couldn't have asked for better parents." He rose from the floor, and carefully placed his bag down. He turned around and started towards the door. "I'm going to go tell Amy and the others, but I'll be back before nine."

* * *

He found her in a lab at the Palace with Sir Charles, diligently studying a chart. 

"Hi, Amy, how's the research coming?" An impish grin that would have made his elder brother proud was upon his face, and it only grew wider as she turned around to face him.

"Tails, what are you doing here?" She mirrored his grin, though hers was slightly more refined.

"Just wanted to say hello to an old friend, that's all," he said as she wheeled her way over towards him. "How's the research coming along?"

"Pretty good, son," Sir Charles called from across the room, "but we keep on hitting the same blasted roadblock, no matter how many times we try it."

"What's wrong?" He raised an eyebrow. "Are you still having trouble stabilizing the accelerated growth of the limbs?"

"Oh we've got that under control," Amy said with a frown. She shook her head. "It getting the growth to stop and revert back to normal that we can't get the hang of. Flash cloning limbs is a wonderful thing, but if it rots off after fives days, it's not really going to solve anybodies problems."

The young fox winced at the thought of that, and stared down at his own hands. What Amy, Sir Charles, and the rest of the crew were working on might well be the key to restoring himself. He looked at the girl in front of him, and thought of his beloved Aunt Bunnie. If the key to this could finally be grasped, they could finally be normal again, along with everyone else who had suffered loss of limbs and extremities.

"Don't worry; you'll get the hang of it. You guys are too smart to let something like this beat you." He gave them a thumbs up gesture and a wink, another thing he'd picked up from his brother back at Knothole. "But how are you feeling?"

"Pretty beat at the moment." She brought her hands up to rub her temples. "I've been here since seven."

"I'm about ready to close up shop here anyway," Sir Charles said, a smile on his face. "Why don't you two go out and have some fun, and I'll take care of cleaning up the lab?"

"Okay, thanks." The girl looked over to the fox. "Race you outside!"

She was gone before he could respond, controlling her wheel with a degree of skill that he hadn't seen in forever. "Hey, no fair!" He shook a fist at her, and rushed off after the hedgehog.

"Kids." Sir Charles threw his hands in the air in a mock sigh. "Sometimes I wish they always stayed like that."

* * *

The two of them were in Memorial Park, a massive, five square kilometer expanse of trees, nature, and beauty that was located in the heart of the city. One of the first things rebuilt when the city was reforged, the park served as a reminder to everyone of all that had happened, and all that had so very nearly been lost forever when Julian had taken over. 

Tails drank in the sights, reminded himself that another crisis was coming, and took strength from the nature that was around him. It was surprisingly quiet as dusk approached. There weren't many people around, but what surprised the young man the most was that the animals and birds themselves seemed to be staying silent, as if in anticipation of the storm that was just beyond the horizon.

He felt a little bit of anxiety worm its way into his mind. How long did they have to prepare before the Neo Crusaders struck? Where would they strike? How would they do it? Most importantly, would they even be ready? Would the mega corps have been able to do what they needed to? Would the new weapons and armor they were working on be good to go? Or would he find himself armed with a weapon that was incapable of even scratching his enemies?

"Penny for your thoughts?"

He looked back over to Amy. She sat in her chair, her eyes upon him and a slight frown upon her face. "Just got a lot on my mind right now."

"Your arms haven't been bothering you again, have they?" The note of concern was in her voice as well, and he gazed down at his limbs. Pain occasionally flared from them from time to time, but it had become less frequent as the years had worn on.

"No, nothing like that," he said with a sigh. "There's been a lot going on lately, and, well, I've decided that I need to do my part to help out." He looked over to Amy. Her face was one part confusion, one part uneasiness. "I signed up today. I'll be shipping out after tomorrow."

Amy took it with a surprisingly level of calm. She raised her eyebrows, one a little higher than the other, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I should have figured you do something like that." A small, half smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Derrick always said you had the blood of a soldier in you. There's one thing I want to know though." She wheeled herself a little closer to him, stared him in his eyes. "Are you doing this for yourself, because it's what you want to do, or are you doing it because it's something you thing he'd want you to do?"

"I'm not really sure."

"What do you mean?"

"Part of me wants to honor Sonic's memory… wants to do what he would have done." He looked at her and a bit of laughter came from his throat. "You can't understand what it was like to grow up with Mobius' greatest hero as your adoptive brother. He might have had an ego, but Sonic cared for me. If I had a problem, he'd drop what he was doing and come help me out. And the things he said that I'd do… the great things I'd be able to accomplish. I never had a chance to prove myself when Robotnik was around. Now's my chance to make him proud."

"What about the other part?" Her tone was curious, pressing.

"People greater than myself fought and gave their lives so that I could enjoy this," he spread his hands around the park, "I'm not about to let their sacrifice be trampled underfoot by a bunch of genetically engineered, biological robots!" he brought a fist into his palm. "This is something I have to do… something I have to be a part of."

Amy remained silent, her eyes upon the ground. There was a twitch in her left hand, a sign that she was thinking hard. "I see." She looked up at him. "Have you told your parents?"

"Yep." He nodded his head, a frown on his face. "Mom was a little upset, and dad's officially worried sick over me. But, they didn't try to stop me. I think they understand what I've been trying to tell them."

"Just promise me one thing," the hedgehog placed her hand on his, a strange glow to her eyes, "take care of yourself when you get out there. Don't do anything stupid."

"I won't, believe me. I know what Mandalorians can do, and I don't aim to make that first mistake." He had to repress a shudder. Against a Mando, your first mistake was your last. "I've got a couple of hours left before I have to head home… you want to go see a movie or something?"

"I'd love to." Her frown became a smile, one that he emulated, and the two took off towards the nearest theatre.

* * *

The fox stretched as he came out, and a loud cracking split the air as his vertebrae popped and snapped. Amy giggled as she came up next to him. 

"A little stiff, there, Tails?" she said, and hand over her mouth to hide her ear to ear grin.

"Just a little bit." He returned with a snicker. "Did you enjoy the movie?"

"A little sappy at some parts, but the comedy was a nice distraction from reality," She said as she rolled down the street. "Overall, I'd give it an eight."

"I'll take that as a yes, then." The boy's namesakes swished back and forth as he kept pace with her. "You want me to walk you home?"

"I can handle myself, thanks," she said. "But your place is on the way, and isn't it getting close to time for you to be getting back? I don't want you to get in trouble with your folks."

"You're right." His ears dropped slightly.

"Hey, you can always walk me back again sometime, like when you get back." Her reply was optimistic, cheerful, and he gave her a strange look. "Tails, you've stared down the most dangerous war machine the planet's ever seen and even Norrack couldn't kill you. No group of wannabe Mandalorians are going to take you down unless you go out of your way to be an idiot. You've got too much going for you."

He was touched by her faith, but he still stared around at the various buildings as they made their way back to the apartment complex where the Prowers lived. Amy's hopeful promises aside, the boy was no fool. Mandalorians fought without quarter, and would gladly give their lives to take down an enemy.

His not coming back was a very real possibility.

He shook his head as they drew ever closer. He didn't need to think like that. Not now, at any rate. Whatever happened would happen. He just had to stay positive for right now and not think about it until the time came. It would be there soon enough.

The two didn't talk much in the few minutes it took to traverse the distance from the movie theatre to the Prower home, and they soon found themselves by the ramp that lead up to the complex.

"Well… guess this is goodbye," Tails said. He reached back and scratched the back of his head. "I'll probably be spending tomorrow getting everything together and saying farewell to everyone else."

"Yeah." Another frown manifested itself on her face, and her hand was twitching slightly again. The pink furred hedgehog looked up into his eyes that glow there again. She moved a little closer to him, and beckoned him closer. "I want you to promise me, again, that you won't do anything foolish," she whispered into his ear.

"I promise," he said with a smile.

He never saw it coming. It was a faint pressure against his cheek as he started to turn towards the door. A kiss. His eyes went wide, and he looked back over to her, an incredulous look upon his face.

"I'll hold you to that." There was a smirk upon the girl's face that was a mile wide.

With that smile she pivoted her chair around and left him there, a dumbstruck, dopy expression written on him. He brought his hand up and felt the area where her lips had touched the side of his face and rubbed it. Had that really just happened?

"Women can be funny like that."

He shot around, and saw his father. Amadeus was propped up against the side banister at the top of the ramp. There was a faint grin on his face, which grew wider as his son turned red.

"Dad, I…" The boy stuttered his gaze upon his shoes.

"Don't worry son, nothing to be ashamed about." The elder fox laughed a laugh that came from deep within his chest. His eyes twinkled slightly, and he sighed. "Your mother was a lot like that, though she never stopped fretting over me after Dagon's Peak… though I can't say I blame her. She threw a fit when I told I was going back for another enlistment after that."

"You never told me that," Tails said, his eyes growing wide as he thought about it. "You volunteered to go back… even after what happened?"

"First, you never asked. Second, I knew I still had a job to do, Mandalorian army on the loose or not." He chuckled again, thought his time it was grim, bitter. "Never imagined that I would ever run into Derrick again." He chuckled, before his face grew dark. "Seeing that boy laid out like that… killed, for no reason other than just to satisfy some whim of that… monster who called himself a soldier of Royal Army. Funny how in saving his life, I may have saved all of ours. If it hadn't been for him… we might never have escaped the coup… never have had you."

"Try telling him that," The younger kit said with a frown. "All he ever seems to think about are his shortcomings and his failures."

"Son," Amadeus placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, "Mandos are perfectionists to a fault. In the days after our escape, I saw him running through drills to get himself back up and into proper form. If he did something wrong by even the smallest bit. He'd do it over and over again until he got it right… I guess that's one reason I'm so worried about you going off."

"I'll try not to do anything stupid." The two tailed fox replied.

"I know you will, but there's something I've got to warn you about, and that's about Amy." Amadeus got a confused look that had a touch of instinctive anger in it. "Having a girl to come back to can be a big thing. It can give you something to look forward to, to keep you going when times are tough. But do not, under any circumstances, let yourself get distracted by her. More than one soldier's had mind on the wrong thing when it came time for battle, and got slotted as a result."

"I see," the boy muttered as he looked back down to the ground.

"Still," his father continued, "let's not worry too much about the bad. There'll be enough of that in the days that are coming, mark my words. Now come on inside, dinner's a little cold but you can heat it back up."

Father and son turned and headed back into the complex, their arms around each other and smiles upon their faces.

* * *

The remaining few hours ticked away with frightening quickness, and all too soon, Tails found himself at the terminal, awaiting the massive transport craft that would take him towards the base at Station Square. Everyone was gathered there; Sally, Bunnie, Derrick and the rest of his family. With heartfelt embraces, they said their goodbyes to the boy that was becoming a man. 

"Goodbye, unc," The young man said as he threw his right arm around Derrick.

"Goodbye, Mil'ika," the old artic fox returned the gesture. He tried to make it one of the bone crushing bear hugs he'd done years ago, but his body no longer had the strength. "Take care of yourself."

"I will," he said, before he moved down to his mother and father. He said goodbye to them one final time, and then he pivoted about, and boarded the transport.

The aerial craft was rather large, almost the size of a city block, and half again as wide. Massive engines and repulsor lifts in the back enabled it to brute force its way through the atmosphere, which would ensure a timely arrival at their destination.

He saw a seating officer at a computer station in the front, walked up and identified himself. The man spent about ten seconds typing the information in, before he directed the fox to his section.

He was to be grouped with the people that would make up his platoon. With luck, the bonds would start forming before they even got to the base, and their training would be that much closer to completion.

Tails made his way towards his section, and spotted a single open seat. It appeared as though he was the last one from his unit to arrive here. He quickly stowed his bag and sat down next to a raccoon. The other soldier appeared to be about his age and had a wide smile upon his face.

"Morning, man," he extended his hand, which Tails' took. The other soldier's eyes went to his name patch "Prower, ey? Pleasure to meet you."

The fox looked at the raccoon's tag: Carmine, P.

"What's the 'P' stand for?" He gestured to the name patch.

A sheepish grin came over the face of the other recruit. "Percival." He whispered. "I must humbly beg that you not call me by that name… please… just don't."

"Alright, Carmine, on the condition that you not call me 'Miles.' Deal?" He held out his hand again.

"Deal." Carmine said as they shook again, and one of his brown eyes winked.

For a moment Tails wondered if the raccoon would put two and two together with his name, and then make the jump to who his sibling had been. Carmine either didn't make it, though, or he chose not to voice it. Either way, it made the young man feel better. He didn't want to constantly go around in Sonic's shadow. Nor did he want to run the risk of getting 'special treatment' based off that.

"So he hasn't talked your ear off yet… Good."

Tails twisted in his seat and looked across the aisle and saw a ferret sitting in the seat closest to him. He had a much more serious look to him than Carmine did, though there was still a smirk on his face.

"Name's Joshua Myrick." He also extended his hand. "Pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Prower."

"You and Carmine know each other?" Tails asked.

"Known each other for years," Carmine said with a laugh. "Moved into the same neighborhood back when the city was being rebuilt. How about you?"

"What's up with the gloves, as well, I don't think black leather is standard issue." Joshua added.

"I moved into the city when I was young. Got lucky and they found my family. Been with them ever since." He frowned a bit, not sure how he would go about the next part. "As for the gloves… well…" No sense putting it off… he'd have to take the uniform off sometime. He slipped a glove off his right hand, bared the scarred skin and flesh to the world.

He waited for the expected recoils, the looks of disgust. They were not forthcoming, Though Joshua's emerald eyes widened in surprise and Carmine let out a faint whisper behind them.

"Osick, man, what happened to you?" the raccoon asked.

"Let's just say I got caught in a really bad fire a few years back and leave it at that, okay?"

Neither of them pressed, and the young fox stared around the rest of the area as he put the glove back on. He could see the usual assortment of canines, felines, and other such species, a couple of jackals and more exotic ones, and then one in particular that stood out. He could only see part of her from where he was, as she was a couple of rows up ahead of him. She was a mongoose, and her hair was a striking purple. There was something about her that seemed strange, but familiar at the same time, something about her posture.

"Ohh, I see you've found the Ice Queen," Carmine said and gave him a slight nudge. "Tried talking with her earlier, couldn't get a word out of her. Said enough with her eyes, though."

She must have heard something of what the raccoon had said, because she twisted about and looked back at them. Tails' breath caught in his throat. Her face had a fierce beauty to it, something that was wild and untamed, but that was not what caught his attention. Her eyes were like ice, and running down her face were two bloody red streaks.

The gasp that had been trying to fight its way out of him finally did so as he stared at those marks. His gaze drifted down to her name: Fett, M.

The girl twisted back away from them and he had to force himself to tear his gaze away from her.

"A bit of a looker, but those tattoos freak me out." Carmine shook his head and gave Tails a sideways glance.

"Do you know what those are?" He looked to both of the recruits sitting next to him.

"Should we?" Joshua sounded confused.

"The Tears of Skirata… those are Mando tattoos." His voice was not even a whisper, it was quieter than that. "Fett… that was one of the clan names." The other two were giving him incredulous looks. "Believe me, my old man and my godfather both know about all there is to know about them."

"So what's she doing here if she's… one of them?" Carmine asked an eyebrow arched in puzzlement.

"I dunno, I suppose we'll find out." The fox shrugged and furrowed his brow.

Silence fell between them for the next several minutes, until with a great rumble, the transport began to rise. A few moments later and the behemoth vehicle shot out of the terminal. Its destination: the heart of the southern half of Mobius.

* * *

The artic fox stood where he was, stiff like he was at attention. His eyes drifted over to his tawny furred counterpart, and then they narrowed. He stared down at his hands, and he once again cursed the weakness of his broken, cancer ravaged body. 

His people were in danger… Tails was in danger… this whole world in danger… and he was going to be reduced to sitting on the sidelines and waiting for the wrecked husk that his soul inhabited to finally quit on him.

As Amadeus and Rosemary turned away to head back home, they held each other close. Anger rose within Derrick's heart, burned like a white hot fireball. He had failed the man who had saved his life twice, when the village had been attacked and he'd been away, and when Tails had been maimed by Norrack.

His hands curled into fists. There had to be some way, some way for him to try again…

His mind churned and his thoughts ran rampant with desperate ideas. Eventually, though, one did come to him, and his eyes widened at the thought of it. It was crazy, he would be thought a nutcase by any member of Mobian society, but it would work… it would give him one final shot to redeem himself.

He twisted about and headed outside. Once there, he summoned a taxi and ordered it to take him to the Palace sector.

He had an appointment with Sir Charles.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, hope that you all enjoyed that and that it was better than the last couple of chapters have been. As per usual, any and all forms of feedback are appreciated. Ideas, flames, and preferably, lots, and lots of constructive criticisms are openly embraced. Also, ideas for vehicles and weapons are accepted as well. If you've got one, pass it along and let me know. 

Thank you all, and until next time, here's hoping you stay ahead in the game of life.

Also, check this out. Seems the future's getting closer every day…

fredrericksburg .com News/FLS/2007 /012007 /01172007 /251373

Apparently, the U.S. Navy is getting a functional railgun for their ships. (If the link doesn't work (you have to take out the spaces), let me know and I'll send it to you personally with the next chapter.)


	13. Within Oneself

Hello everyone, hope life is treating you well.

I apologize for the traverse train wreck that was the last chapter. I feel I rushed it, and that it could have been done better. Not so sure about this one either… there's a particular seen that I feel I botched, but I cannot figure out how to improve it for the life of me.

Sigh.

Regardless of my current writing problems, I hope that you enjoy the few good parts that this chapter may entail, and those of you who have read this have my thanks. To those of you who have reviewed, I sincerely hope I have responded adequately.

Lawyers: You know the bloody drill by now, I should not have to keep repeating this.

That said, I hope you enjoy this chapter

* * *

&

* * *

Within Oneself

The hover cycle rushed across the open plains. The wind tore at the rider, teased at his belt and harness, tried to rip his weapons from his back. But it could find no purchase on the power armor that Sonic wore.

The wind, however, was the least of his worries.

A flash in his mind warned him, and he threw himself down in his seat as a white hot energy bolt lanced over his head. He glanced back over his shoulder. The six of them were still back there, had hung onto him since he'd left the burning remnants of the supply convoy behind more than two hours ago. They had doubtless been surprised to see him, as their stealth units could not be detected by Mobian sensors. However, there was little technology could do to prevent something like himself from sensing them.

He was just grateful they hadn't figured out how to attach those jammers and visual cloaking units to aircraft yet.

He mentally saluted the Clones that were behind him. They were good, very good… and he knew why. The distinctive ridges along the tops of their helmets, the movements between the formation, almost like the squad was telepathically linked to one another. He was up against Cuy'val Dar. Just his luck that the convoy would be guarded by a squadron of those guys.

Another burst of automatic vehicle fire came in over his shoulder, and the ARC trooper found himself having to frantically dodge to try and get out of the way. He snarled and his eyes narrowed behind the holographic screen of his helmet. There had to be some way to shake these guys or put them out of the fight. He had to get back to the base, and he had to get back there now.

He saw something off on the dark horizon, and in a flash his visor had zoomed in. A crooked smile made its way over the hedgehog's face as he thought of a plan. He twisted his steering bars, shifted his weight, and the bike rushed off towards its new destination.

The super commandos behind him stayed on his six o'clock like a pack of feral wolves. Their shots came within hairbreadths of hitting him, while one or two of them actually did manage to connect. Thankfully, his shields were up to the task of protecting his body.

"Come on, that's it, keep coming like that," he whispered as he stared down at the sensor readouts on the bike. He chuckled for a moment and almost shook his head. "Let's see if they taught you how to do this in training."

A minute or two passed, as they streaked along, it quickly became obvious what the cyborg's plans were. A thick forest could be seen in the distance, not as large or as thick as the massive, multi-hundred kilometer Great Forest, but still large enough that it would offer an excellent place to hide.

Sonic felt inward, closed his eyes, let himself stretch out. As the first of the trees streaked past, he began to dodge and weave about. Events flickered in his mind, warnings of what would occur seconds before they did.

The Cuy'Val Dar were right behind him.

They entered the woods, dodging and weaving about on their own hover bikes. Like ghosts, they flickered through the trees, the engines of their vehicles screaming like banshees. It would have been textbook suicide to run vehicles at the speeds they were in such an environment. But they were not ordinary soldiers.

Sonic saw it and ducked as one pulled up next to him, whipped out her jurkadir, and let fly. Between the trees and the bolts, he opted to allow the latter to hit him, and the crackling of his shields echoed through the forest as two of the bolts hit. Sonic fought the urge to grow, though silently he was amazed at how well the trooper could aim considering they were on speeding bikes in a concentrated forest, and she was forced to aim with a single hand.

He hated the thought that this was going to be either him or them.

Shots came from his right and from behind. They had gotten him into a cross fire, and between that and the trees, he knew he had to find a clearing, fast, or they would either pigeon hole him, or he'd turn into a fiery smear on the side of one of the local flora.

A shot from behind zoomed over head, missed him by a handspan. The energy bolt connected with the tree in front of him and exploded. Splinters flew away, deadly shrapnel to those who were not armored, but it merely pinged off the bikes and the soldiers involved.

As he left he explosion behind, he heard the whoompsh of the tree hitting the ground, and the ear ringing cracks and snaps that accompanied it. He growled again, before his eyes widened and a smile came over his face.

Ahead of him was a clearing, and as he blasted out into it, he slammed on the brakes of his craft. Retro rockets and air brakes worked together to take him from triple digit speeds down to almost nothing in seconds, and he had to hold on tight to avoid being flung off of his cycle. He kicked the bike around and drew a kaiburr sword, igniting it in a flash.

The first of the Cuy'val Dar soldiers came through and the canon mounted underneath the hover cycle fired off a five shot burst. It was a flurry of movents that protected Sonic, sending the bolts into the ground or sky. Meter wide craters erupted and another tree fell as he leapt off his still moving machine.

He focused, all of his will and concentration bent to the task at hand. The blade and himself were one, and the target grew ever closer. Ten meters… close enough.

Sonic threw himself to the right and hit the ground shoulder first. He balled up and lashed out just at the front of the bike started to pass over his head. Wires and circuitry were vaporized as the energy blade hit them. ARC trooper rolled out of the way, and he could hear the machine start to whine in protest as the driver lost control of it.

Then he heard the sound of jet exhaust and looked back over his shoulder. The hover cycle hit a tree and erupted into a roaring fireball. The Cuy'val Dar, though, was still alive. Up in the air, he aimed his left wrist at him and a grenade went flying.

The explosive detonated. Fire and shrapnel flew everywhere. Sonic's temperature gauge spiked and he felt the pieces of supersonic metal ping off of his shields. He couldn't spare a glance, though, as two more Neo Crusaders came flying in at that moment. With a growl, he snatched his fist to the side, and both of the soldiers flew off of their vehicles and hit the dirt.

The bikes continued onwards and streaked through the clearing until they hit a patch of trees further away. Fire and smoke blossomed up into the air, lightning up the glade. The Clone, though, stopped much sooner. He could see the furrows that they'd plowed through the dirt, and they lay limp and unmoving at the end of them. They were not dead, he could still feel life flowing through them, but they would not be an issue any longer.

The other three came in, their guns blazing. Sonic was prepared, though, and ducked and dodged about. His speed and reflexes were too great for them to hit with their fixed weapons, and he smirked as they streaked to the end of the glade and dismounted. The four that remained stood where they were, their weapons leveled at him. Still, no one pulled a trigger of moved a muscle. A slight breeze took that moment to whistle through the clearing, and the ARC trooper closed his eyes and focused within himself yet again. The calmness came to him far more easily now. He thought he saw Sally and Saria smile at him from within his mind. Then a chill swept over him.

What would his daughter think, when Sally finally told her? That her father had killed so many… that he continued to do so.

He stared back at the Clones, and his thoughts drifted to them. They weren't any different from him. Slaves, unable to even realize that they were being used by a machine. He felt the same revulsion welling up inside of himself again. The only consolation that the hedgehog had was that the helmets they wore prevented him from having to look into their eyes and faces as he killed them. If only…

…wait… perhaps there _was_ another way.

His caster was up and his second blade out in a flash as a single thought changed the course of the battle. Blue pulses streaked from the twin barrels as he rushed in towards the Crusaders. They saw him coming and scattered, jetting up and around into the air with their rifles spitting purple death down at him. There was a bigger one as well, armed with a repeater. Top priority.

The caster realigned itself with a thought, and a barraged of bolts were headed for him. He maneuvered out of the way, though, and his larger gun returned the favor. Sonic dashed out of the way as he aimed and fired. In the split second that he'd moved, dozens of rounds connected with the dirt. Earth flew, glass formed, and steam rose. The Clone adjusted his angle and another spray came. Bolts connected, his shields flared, dropped to redline and began to fail in a matter of seconds.

Again he dashed away, frantic to try and give himself a chance to recharge his defenses. Again he cursed his lack of speed, wished he could still run as he used to be able to. Still, he couldn't let that get him down. Not now. Too much to worry about that was just a tad more pressing.

Prickling in his mind and he dropped to the ground and rolled to the right as buster rockets flew over his head. They exploded at the far end of the clearing, and the only warning that sounded was the cracking of the trees as they fell haphazardly about. Again, the five combatants scattered. As the fight resumed, though, Sonic noticed something: the Cuy'val Dar were more cautious, not as aggressive. A quick, snapping glance over his shoulder showed him what he needed to see. He was nearly in line with the two downed soldiers. A smile formed on his face once again, grim and determined.

A thirty foot leap into the air put him where he needed to be. They were behind him, their comrades in front. The rifles flew upwards a split second before they were to fire, and the hedgehog could feel the turmoil that boiled within the four soldiers.

The standoff lasted for five seconds before the Neo Crusaders slapped their weapons onto their backs and went for their zhabokas. The telescopic vibro blades were out and melee distance closed within seconds. Energy blades and vibrating neosteel connected a moment later.

The battle was a blur as one of them swung at his head, another at his legs, and the remaining two attempted to skewer him from behind. Sonic found himself having to work frantically to swat the blades away and keep them from himself.

The Clones were fast, the Clones were strong. A blade connected on the back portion of the Aratech suit. Shields crackled and flared, and the gauge dropped. The energy field around the metal blades was proving to be surprisingly adept at slicing through his defenses.

He lashed backwards, thrust his leg out and attempted to send the commando flying. The trooper ducked, though, and the next thing Sonic knew he felt his leg being grabbed. He pushed off of the ground and flipped around though the air. Had his bones been normal, such a move would have given him a broken ankle. As it was, the Clone sailed towards his comrades.

The trooper tried to ball up and twist about, but he didn't have enough time to avoid the barrage of blue tinted beams that hit him. The fusillade overcame his defenses, and he hit the ground, stunned senseless.

Another blade streaked in, and only a split second twist enabled the cybernetic hedgehog to avoid the blow. He flipped one of his kaiburr swords around and slammed the butt end of it into the Cuy'val Dar's chestplate. The Clone gave an audible grunt and stumbled backwards just a bit. He tried to follow through, ducked down and attempted to sweep the soldier's legs out from underneath her. She managed to jump out of the way and narrowly avoid the hit.

Sonic flipped up, brought his other leg in for a vicious roundhouse. The targeted Clone never saw it coming, and was stretched out on the forest floor with the powerful blow caught him. The ARC trooper vaulted up into the air and spun over the two remaining ones, as stun rounds left his caster once again and ensured that the trooper stayed down.

The larger of the two remaining soldiers attempted to rush the hedgehog, and his dual blade weapon clashed against the energy blades in a furious contest of strength and speed. The blows came swift and strong, and they were soon joined by the Cuy'val Dar's companion.

Two hits struck him, glancing blows off of an arm and a leg, but it still brought a growl of frustration from the hedgehog. He'd spent too much time in training against Shadow when it came to melee. Facing a single opponent of equal or greater skill was one thing, but facing a greater number of almost as skilled adversaries was something else. He'd have to correct that when he got back.

The two zhabokas came in again, one at waist height, the other one at chest level. He would have leapt backwards but for his powers. The momentary heads up gave him all the warning he needed for him to try something insane.

He jumped and twisted sideways. The blades went over and under him, and Sonic imagined that he could see the surprised look on each of the trooper's faces as they realized what he had done.

They were good. They realized their error and attempted to correct it. They weren't fast enough to match him though. He lashed out and punched one of them dead in the face. Her head flew backwards and her body came up off the ground. For a moment, her body glove was exposed, and the ARC trooper seized the moment.

His caster fired three stun rounds into her and when she hit the ground she was limp as a rag doll. Overkill perhaps, considering the range and the fact that the portion of her suit had been unarmored, but these were the elite of the enemy soldiers.

Sonic dropped one blade and it deactivated as it hit the ground and without even turning, caught the other Clone's weapon around the staff-like hilt. He ripped the zhaboka towards him and brought his knee up to smash it into the man's gut.

The Clone let go, but to his surprise, Sonic did not fall backwards, as if he had known what he was about to do. In a flash, he'd ejected his thek'la dagger and whipped out his repeater. He knocked the kaiburr sword aside with it and fired a burst of shots at point blank range. His adversary managed to twist out of the way and in a flash had kicked the gun out of his hand. A pistol was in it faster than most could have realized.

Blue stunner rounds screamed by his head and he only just managed to duck. He got the pistol around, fired two shots, and then found it sliced off at the barrel by a pair of vibro claws. Two hits across the face so fast that he never saw them coming. He stumbled backwards, felt the first of the stun rounds hit his armor. They were special, not like the brute force energy transfer of a normal shot, his armor couldn't protect him against them quite as well. He was still trained to resist that kind of thing, though. Five shots hit, a normal Mobian would have been down. He lunged forward, lashed out with his knife again. Ten shots, his eyes felt droopy, like they were made of steel. A hand caught his, a grip strong as iron. Fifteen, he swung again with his free hand.

Twenty, the last thing he remembered was another hand catching his own.

Sonic let out a sigh as his foe slumped into his arms.

"Regular little Rambo, aren't you?" said to himself as he sent a neural transmission to his ship.

The LAAT came roaring in a few minutes later and descended into the shattered clearing. As he loaded the downed Clones into the drop ship, Sonic found his mind of two parts. His heart was filled with hope that maybe, just maybe, he'd found a better way. On the other hand… if this didn't work…

He activated his long range comlink and hoped that Sally was alone right now.

* * *

Sally knocked upon the door. A few seconds later it opened, and a canine face emerged from the darkness within. Antoine brought a finger to his lips and slipped outside.

"Your timing is impeccable, princess, I was just leaving," he said as he closed the door behind him. "Bunnie's still asleep, as is Guy."

"Little late in the day for that, isn't it?" She arched an eyebrow.

"They've both been a little under the weather the past couple of days. Guy's got a cold and Bunnie seems to have caught a stomach bug." He shrugged. "What were you going to ask her?"

"You know me too well Antoine." A smile made its way to her face as she started to walk down the corridor. "I was hoping she'd help me find Uncle Chuck. I need to talk to him about something. You?"

"I was heading down to the library to study up on Mandalorians." His tone was sober, and the smile had left his face and eyes. "I need to know all I can about them… I know these Neo Crusaders are going to throw every curveball they can at me." He looked over to her. "You've had more experience with them than I have… can you tell me anything about them?"

"They're good… and very hard to kill." She said as they approached a turbo lift. They summoned it and the door opened. "I hope the mega-corps are up to mass producing more advanced weaponry."

"They are," the coyote replied as he pressed a button for one of the basement levels. "They've already begun turning out new prototypes that they'd been working on. Had the plans and everything but didn't produce them because they didn't think there would be a market." He turned and looked at her though, and there was a strange look in her eyes. "But I've been meaning to ask you something, princess. How did you escape?"

"What?" She felt a stab of anxiety go through her as they stepped off. "What are you talking about."

"St. John's been poking around, trying to question Bunnie about exactly how you managed to get away from hundreds of thousands of born and bred killing machines all by yourselves." He looked at her. "He's got a hunch, and so have I. How did she find you? How did she know how to beat them, evade them, and all that?" He placed a gentle hand on hers. "Sally, people were so relieved to have you and Saria back in one piece at first that they didn't care, but that skunk's too nosy for his own good… and he's terribly ambitious. I don't know what he'll do with that kind of information, but I wouldn't like it. Who helped you escape?"

"I…" she trailed off.

The lights flickered for a second, and a scream echoed throughout the corridor.

The two of them exchanged a glance, and then took off in the direction of the yell. It had been relatively close, emanated out from one of the old sublevel labs that had been out of use for years.

The scream came again, out of a door no more than a dozen yards ahead on their right.

Antoine's cybernetic arm made short work of the door and they were inside a moment later. To their surprise, the lights were on, and none other than Sir Charles had his back to them. There was a large instrument panel in front of him, but they couldn't see what it was he was operating.

"Goddess, that stung, Charles." A tired, pain filled voice came from out of the darkness.

"Well, I warned you it was going to hurt and I offered you some painkiller, but you wouldn't have any of that, now then would you?" The hedgehog sounded gruff. "The scans are reading as normal, but I need to make a few tweaks to make certain that it stays permanent and you don't revert to your base state."

"You might have warned me it was going to hurt that much."

"Your body just got rearranged on the sub atomic level! What did you think it was going to feel like?" He shouted to the darkness.

"What is going on here?" Sally asked, a flutter of something she couldn't quite identify moved around her stomach and up her spine.

Sir Charles whirled around, his long moustache flying. His eyes widened, and then seemed to burn with shame. He lowered his head to the ground and turned back to what he had been dealing with.

"I'm sorry, Sally, I really am… but he insisted…"

"Who insisted upon what?" Antoine asked, a bit of his French accent back in his voice.

"I insisted upon this." The other voice said. There was a certain tone to it… something neither had heard in almost a decade.

There was a hiss from the darkness, the sound of something as it rose up and a pressure seal was broken. Then a clanking noise, the sound of metal upon metal. A flash, a gleam. Gold photoceptors that burned with a light.

Sally trembled and stepped backwards. "Sir Charles, you didn't…"

"I'm afraid I did." He bowed his head and shook it.

"At my insistence."

Sally and Antoine both gasped as the being stepped into the light. It was… or had been… Derrick. Metal shone were flesh should have been, and servos where once had been joints. His eyes stared forward… eerie, unblinking. There was a smile on his mechanized face though.

"I fee like I'm twenty again," he said, awe in his tone as he flexed his hand.

"Derrick…" Sally couldn't find words.

He looked over to her, and the smile lessened, but did not disappear. "I know what you're thinking, but do not worry, I will not become a slave. Sir Charles has seen to that."

"I managed to break down a Power Ring and feed it in with the energy beams. He's completely machine… but with that and a little bit of programming, he'll remain himself." The old hedgehog's voice was grave, though, despite the success.

"But your very humanity!" Antoine exclaimed.

Derrick glared at him. "What good was it to me? My flesh was weak, failing. Now," he stared down into his metallic palm, "now it is made anew… strong… strong enough to rise… one last time. Strong enough to fight the enemies of my people, and my friends." He turned to face Sally and then kneeled at her feet. "Princess, this Death Watchman's life, services, and skills are at your disposal."

She rocked back, her eyes wide and her hands trembling.

"Might I suggest, if I may be so bold, princess, that I be sent to oversee a division of troop training?" Derrick raised his head to meet her eyes. "I can be of most use there. I do not sleep, I do not eat, and I will not tire. And I think I am the most qualified individual to prepare your soldiers for the coming storm."

Sally's eyes shifted about for a second, and she chewed her bottom lip. For some moments she stayed like that, before a change came over her. Her eyes began to burn with cold fire, she stood a little straighter and she brought Nicole into her hands.

"Nicole, bring up file number two-four-eight." She pulled out the little stylus that she had for the AI as it flashed to life. Her hand blurred across the screen for a minute or so before she finally put down the stylus. She looked down at Derrick, and with a gesture bid him to rise.

"I've created a Combat Service Vista for you… Master Sergeant Ordo. Return to your home, and make what preparations you need. When you return, there will be an official commission for you… to the Station Square garrison." She looked him dead in what had once been his golden eyes. "Look after Tails…"

"I won't hold him back, so don't ask me to, but I will prepare him as best I can, princess, I swear to that." His face was somber, but a smile still tugged at the edges of it. "Should take me a day or two to get ready. I need to make adjustments to my armor and prep my weapons."

He walked forward and placed his arms around her shoulders. Sally could feel the strength behind the metal, as his grip was tight, but not painfully so. "Whatever you do, please, don't think of this as some great sacrifice on my part… I wanted this. Jaster, Brianna, all the others, they're in danger and they don't even know it. I will not stand by and watch my people be enslaved by a power mad tyrant."

With that, he nodded to each of them, and walked passed what was left of the doorway.

Sir Charles turned back to the console. "I'd better shut this abomination down… Goddess… I hope I never have to do that again." He shuddered, and his quills stood up on end.

"I think I'll just run along to the library now," Antoine said. His face was pale underneath his fur, and he seemed somewhat shaken by what he had just born witness to.

Sally and Uncle Chuck were left alone. The princess tried to swallow, to wet her suddenly dry mouth. It finally hit her, what she'd just born witness to. She felt a shudder work itself over her. Had the whole world gone mad? A power hungry super soldier sought to dominate the planet, all that stood in his way right now was the courage of a single individual who was both the man she loved and a former killing machine. A group of people that had risked their lives for their cause had been ostracized for no other reason than the blood that flowed in their veins had finally had enough, and turned upon them…

…And now someone had just voluntarily relinquished any semblance of normalcy and roboticized himself.

"What is Mobius coming to?" She muttered, as she remembered what her reason for being here. "You nearly through shutting everything down, Uncle Chuck?" She shuddered again as she remembered what she was in proximity to… the time when she herself had nearly been turned into a mindless slave.

"Yeah, why, Sally... You ready to throw me in the slammer?" His tone was bitter, full of a self loathing that she hadn't heard since he'd told them about the ARC project.

"I guess… if he wanted it…"

"Wanted it? Sally, there was a look in his eyes that was frightening," the old scientist looked over at her. "There was a desperation, there. There's something going on inside of his head that he hasn't shared with us yet… something… almost fanatical."

"He wants to die in battle…" She lowered her eyes towards the ground. The thought of Derrick, Tails' godfather, the man who'd saved her life, gone… she didn't want to think about it.

She shook her head, got her mind back on track, there were more important things to worry about. Sonic had seemed nervous when he'd called her.

"When you're done," she paused. How to explain the unexplainable? "I need you to come with me, there's something I need your help with.

"This early in the day?" His brow furrowed as he gave her a look. "Must be awfully important."

"You have no idea," She said as she brought a hand up to her face. "At any rate, meet me and Saria on landing pad D in fifteen minutes."

"The Royal family's private launch pad? Am I to understand that we're going off without escort?" His jaw hung low as he finished the statement, so low that Sally wondered how he had managed to avoid dislocating his jaw.

"Yes, now hurry up, we're needed."

"Must be awfully important," he repeated under his breath, before he turned back to shutting down the roboticizer.

He paused for a second and stared down at them. His fur felt filthy, unclean, after what he'd just done. He'd roboticized someone. True, Derrick had all but threatened him with bodily harm to get him to go through with it. Nonetheless, even starring at that abomination had brought back most unpleasant memories. He shook his head, and a broken sob came from his throat.

He had been responsible for Julian's rise to power, and now he'd just done something that the tyrant had so enjoyed doing.

First the ARC project, now this, all in the name of victory. Where did he draw the line? Where did he stop himself?

* * *

Only the knowledge that it would have been most indignant of him to do so stopped Derrick Ordo from skipping home like a schoolboy. Joy such that he had not know since he'd first become a father filled his heart, and despite his new bodyweight, he felt light as a feather.

It had worked! Against all odds, he had a new body, one that was strong, fast, and sturdy. He flexed his hands again, hands that were now strong enough to grip his rifle and his zhaboka without trembling, arms that were not riddled with traitorous cells trying to destroy him, and a chest cavity that would never be short of breath.

Of course, there was a slight cost. People, early morning joggers, children on their way to school, stopped and stared. Some pointed, turned to others and whispered in soft undertones. The youngest of the children recoiled in pure terror, tears of horror and fear beginning to form in their eyes. Still, the Mandalorian took no notice of that. It was only natural, he supposed. He brought back bad memories and horrifying accounts and stories, more than likely. They would come to understand.

And even if they didn't, the artic fox had more to worry about than public approval. He was a Mandalorian after all, and even while normal, had never been accepted by the neighbors, except for Amadeus, Rosemary, and Tails.

As he drew closer to that residential sector, the people thinned out. No one around here was up yet. A thought, small and innocent, ran through what had once been his brain. His grin widened, and he looked around to see if there was anyone else watching.

No one.

He broke out into a sprint. The wind howled in his audio receptors, rushed over his metallic skin. He had to restrain the whoop of joy that threatened to burst out of his chest. Running for the sake of running; how many years had it been? Ten, twenty, thirty? Didn't matter now, he could do it again.

He saw the complex where he lived grow closer, and his smile would have grown wider if it could have. Amadeus was out getting the morning newspaper, a cup of coffee in his hand. Derrick wasn't sure if it was the movement, or something else, but the other fox suddenly turned his direction.

His mechanized brain would forever remember the look of shock on his friend's face.

The Mandalorian came to a stop a few feet in front of Amadeus, and waited for the shock to settle in. He knew he shouldn't have done this, it was unprofessional, but for some reason he felt unusually giddy.

"Good morning, ner vod," he brought two fingers up to his forehead and tapped them against it. "Looks like it's going to be a lovely day."

Amadeus' jaw opened and shut several times, his eyes widened; his hands trembled, nearly spilling the mug. "Derrick?" he finally wheezed out.

"In the flesh… so to speak." The smile remained plastered upon his face. "How do I look?"

"What have you…" Amadeus began, and then the realization dawned upon him. "You're going back, aren't you? Back to the front lines?"

"I'll be shipping out in a couple of days for Station Square. Her majesty has decided I'd be best put to use training the troops to fight the Neo Crusaders."

"I see… I should have known you'd do something crazy like this." the fox gave a weary smile , looked down towards the ground, tapped his foot for a few seconds, and then motioned for Derrick to follow him. "I know it's kind of irrelevant, now anyways… but would you care to join me and Rosemary for breakfast?"

"Love to, old friend."

* * *

"So what exactly is going on, here? Where are we going?" Sir Charles asked as he looked over to Sally.

The princess was busy piloting a small personal transport. She flipped a couple of switches, and then stared back over to him. "We're heading to a place that you've tried to forget: Stonehenge."

"How do you?" He stuttered, blinked several times, and shook his head all in the same action. "How do you know about that place?"

"What did Norrack want?"

What color had been left in Sir Charles face drained. Slowly, almost too slowly, he turned back and stared at Saria. His hands and body trembled, and his mouth opened and shut several times.

"What did you say?" he finally wheezed out.

"Norrack's still alive, Uncle Chuck." Sally didn't take her eyes off of the instrument panel in front of her. "He's been hiding out there for the past nine years… fighting against the Neo Crusaders. He's the one who helped Saria and I escape from Shadow… Almost got himself killed doing it, too."

"Sally," the old man swallowed, "do you understand… do you know who he is…"

"Yes," she looked over to him, a confused look upon her face. "Do you?"

"I've known for years… I used some of Julian's blood to unlock the security encoding on the ARC project… there was a video recording." He stopped, and the princess saw tears forming in his eyes. "I never dared to hope…"

"What's going on?" Saria asked, a frown on her small face. "When did everyone here find out something about my friend and decide not to tell me?"

"Honey," her mother started, before a beeping noise on the console interrupted her. She reached forward and slapped the switch, and a voice came over the cabin's comm. systems.

"Was wondering when you'd get here." The distorted, semi-electronic voice said. "Do you have Chuck with you?"

"Yeah, Saria too." She paused to bank the craft around. "You mind opening the aerial lift for us?"

"Give me a second," slow footsteps could be heard over the speakers. "Okay, its opening. Guide your ship down and get down here to the medical wing, ASAP. These guys are starting to twitch and I don't want to risk them waking up before they've been looked at." The comm. went dead.

Below them, the ground parted and the ship started a landing cycle. Within moments it was down on the pad and sinking into the earth. The platform began to pick up speed and before long it was rapidly descending.

Sally unbuckled herself and took off her piloting helmet before starting the shut down sequence. Uncle Chuck and Saria were already undoing their seat harnesses as the elder princess popped the hatch open. The trio was out and about a few minutes later. Pops echoed through the air as they stretched from the hours long flight.

The platform came to a rest about thirty seconds later, and a massive door opened to reveal the dozens upon dozens of gunships and fighters that were in this particular hangar.

"It's still here… all of it," Sir Charles breathed. "I though that it would have been dismantled after the end of the war… or the order for it at least given."

"No one had time, thankfully," Sally said as she started jogging towards a nearby turbo lift. "Come on, Norrack sounded like he was in a rush."

* * *

They found their way there soon enough. It was the only med bay with an open door. The ARC Trooper was there, a jurkadir rifle leveled at a group of occupied bacta tanks. His helmet was on, his weapons equipped and loaded, and his bolt caster up and pointed at the tanks.

Sally didn't understand his heavy armament until she stared at the occupants. A gasp came from her throat, and she stared over at him.

"A squadron of Cuy'val Dar. They chased me back from a convoy earlier this morning. Managed to capture them, but they almost got me... I had to fight dirty." He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Sir Charles. A surge of emotion threatened to overwhelm him, but the cyborg hedgehog kept it in check. He had more important things to worry about.

"I need your help…" He paused for a beat. "I want to save them."

"What do you mean… son." The old scientist looked ready to collapse, but he held out.

"They're no different than I was… slaves to a neural chip. I have what you'd probably need to operate on them over there on that table." He inclined his head towards several trays of spread out tools and medical assistance droids. But I'm a soldier, not a surgeon. Please… dad… I'm begging you. Get that thing out of them…"

Sally gently steered Saria out of the room, and left the two alone.

Sonic reached out and sealed the door, then reached up and unlocked his helmet. It came off a second later. Sir Charles stared upon the scarred visage of the soldier in front of him. The soldier that had once been a boy forced to grow up too quickly. He stared into the eyes, the burning, solid white eyes and he felt his heart try to tear itself in two.

How could he have done what he had? Tears formed again, threatened to spill over. He felt his knees start to shake, his body begin to tremble. The image was burned into his head. He had done that. He had made Sonic like that.

A pressure, strong and firm, but not painfully so, around his back. Metal pressed up against his fur and skin. He looked up. Sonic held him in a one armed embrace.

"Good to see you again, dad." His voice was cracking, his eyes shut.

"Oh, Sonny, how can you forgive me?" Sir Charles begged, a solitary tear staining his fur.

"What is there to forgive? You brought me into this world. You raised me as your own child, even though you didn't have to. You were the best father I could have ever hoped for." There was a smile on his face, warmth to his tone.

It faded in an instant as he heard a 'thunk' against the glass of a bacta tank.

Caster and jurkadir rifle were pointed at the group of Clones in a split second.

"Maybe we should save the emotional reunion for a little bit later, ey, father?" Sonci said with a wry smile.

"I think you're right, son." He looked over to the tools on the table, and the droids. "Let's get to work."

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, hope this was better than I thought it was, and not too terribly cliché. God, why am I overwhelmed by this feeling that I've screwed something up?

Well, at any rate, thank you all for reading this far, and if you have advice, constructive criticism, or the like, I would ask that you please offer it. Ideas for weapons, vehicles, and other such things are also appreciated.

That said, I hope you all have a wonderful week, and best of luck to you in whatever you do.


	14. United We Stand

Hello again, everyone. I'm sorry for the delay, but things have been hectic, with exams and all. And… well… Last Thursday my Great Uncle, Richard 'Dick' Fitzpatrick, passed from this life and into the next. I've been a little depressed, but at the same time, it's hard to feel really bad. He was almost eighty years old, had beaten the odds in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam in the twenty two years that he served in the U.S. Navy, and was one of the most fun-loving, caring, and intelligent individuals that I've ever been privileged to know. In the end, though, his time was coming. He'd come down with Alzheimer's, and perhaps it was best that he went on before his mind rotted away to nothing.

His funeral was today, and I was unable to attend. But then, I'd prefer to keep the last memories of him as a surprisingly fit eighty year old that always had a smile on his face, and his famous navy issued cap on his head, rather than a body being lowered into t e ground.

And so, Unc, if you're watching from up there, this chapter's for you. I only hope I've done you justice.

With that, and a heartfelt thank you to Cyrex, for offering some advice on how to make this chapter the best that it could be, I give you chapter fourteen.

* * *

&

* * *

United We Stand

The door hissed open and he stepped out into the room. His legs felt as if they were made of lead. A sense of anxious dread filled him, but hope as well, a churning storm of emotions that he couldn't make heads or tails of. He took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, before looking over to the far end of the room. It was a sparsely furnished waiting area for the medical wing, and Sally and Saria were sitting on a couch at the far end.

He walked over towards them, and he noted the look on the younger princess' face. It too was a mixture of things that he couldn't identify, and a quick empathetic probe reveal even more confusion than the little girl was allowing to show. She looked up at him, a strange burning in her eyes.

"Is mom telling the truth?" Her tone did not betray anything about how she might have felt.

In response, he got down on one knee and once more removed his helmet. He resisted the temptation to close his eyes. He needed to know exactly how she reacted to him. Would it be horror or revulsion at the mutilated visage that was now his face? Would she be angry that he had never been there for her? Would she see past that, as her mother had? Would his friendship with her allow this revelation to be a welcome thing, rather than one of anger?

A thousand thoughts and outcomes whirled within his mind, and a small prayer filled his heart.

Saria reached out, and traced a small finger along the scars that streaked out from his face. He blinked, once, twice. A gentle tingle filled his mind. She was reaching out to him, as she had those years ago when he'd stumbled across her in the middle of the night. The feelings were more powerful now, though still raw and untrained. He felt her roaming about, and he quickly hid the memories of the past few years, of all the death and destruction he'd caused. She was a child, his child, and he didn't want her seeing that sort of thing.

He pushed other memories to the forefront, ones that he'd long ago buried deep within himself. Memories of Knothole, before he'd help to burn it to the ground. Running through the clearings with Tails. Fishing by the river. Playing a practical joke on Antoine. Taking a walk with Sally and helping Rotor with his latest project.

How long had it been since he'd allowed himself to dwell on those, rather than the dark and turbulent ones of the present?

Saria drew back, and he could still make nothing of her emotions. Finally, the girl frowned, and looked him in the eyes. "Why?"

"I guess… I was afraid," It was the only response he could give. His ears drooped in shame and he finally did shut his eyes. "I was afraid of what everyone would think of me… after all I had done."

"You were," she paused, and he noted her confusion, "afraid? But I didn't think you—"

"Ever got scared?" he chuckled, unable to help himself. "I get scared all the time, Saria. I was scared when I went out on missions, scared every time your mother threw herself in harm's way. I was scared when I thought I was about to die… and I was scared when you fell in the river."

It seemed like forever and a day passed in the next split second. He watched her face, searching for any sign of her feelings.

The girl's mind was a blur, as she sorted through the things that she'd seen, of the father that she'd never known. She saw what his life had been like; saw what her mother had talked about, what Bunnie and Antoine had spoken of with bitter laughter. Her mind began to compare the two. She saw him as he dashed headlong at Julian's Swat Bots during a mission, and superimposed Norrack as he'd blasted towards the Neo Crusaders when they'd been escaping Shadow's clutches.

She saw her mother on a metal floor, her father standing over her. Shattered glass was all around them, remnants of a roboticizer containment tube. Righteous fury blazed within his eyes as he checked on her, his eyes hardened to a glare as he stared up at Julian's face on a monitor.

The image was replaced by him standing in a corridor. Weapons fire filled it as he stood defiantly between her and the nightmare that had tried to take her away.

A black and white soccer ball flew through the air, and she heard laughter as Tails flew after it. The boy's face was aglow with joy, and a deeper chuckling came from Sonic.

She and him, playing through the snow banks, a game of hide and seek.

How much had really happened? How much had he really changed? How much of him was a cold, ruthless warrior, how much was just a man haunted by his past?

How much did she want to know?

It started small, a little pull at the edge of her mouth. It blossomed into a smile, and Saria threw her arms around her father's neck and held him close.

Mindful of his strength, Sonic returned the embrace, and let a similar smile form upon his damaged face.

From her seat on one of the couches, Sally felt her own grin pull at her mouth. She didn't dare to blink, she wanted this image held forever within her mind and memories. The moment when they truly, absolutely, became a family again. She rose from her seat and walked over as Sonic lifted his daughter into the air and propped her up on an arm.

His smile was there. Not a smile, but _his_ smile. That crooked half grin he'd always worn at Knothole when he'd played with Tails or carried on a conversation with her. Unable to help herself, she placed an arm around his back and held him close. She leaned her head against his chest and let out a contented sigh.

She looked up, stared into his ethereal eyes. They kissed a moment later, and playfully ignored their daughter's giggles.

It was a moment that was perfect, and she wished it could have stayed that way forever.

* * *

Mentally exhausted, Sir Charles entered the waiting area. He looked out into the lobby and stopped short as his eyes bulged outwards with disbelief. Sonic was hunched over a table, a set of chess pieces in front of him. Saria sat on the opposite end, tapping her index finger to her lips as she looked down at the players.

She reached down, and moved a white bishop across the board, and a frown broke out on her father's face.

"Not going well?" he asked as he walked forward. He produced a cloth and dabbed it across his sweat drenched brow.

"What does it look like?" Sonic gestured to the piles of captured pieces, and the older hedgehog noticed that the black pile was significantly larger than the white. "I'm getting my tail kicked by an eight year old… it's kind of embarrassing."

"I don't understand why I'm doing so well," Saria said, though a smile was etched into her face. "Weren't you…" she paused, a suddenly downcast look appearing on her face, "well… taught this sort of thing?"

"I was taught tactics, Saria," her father held up a finger as he stared down at the board and his ever diminishing supply of troops. "ARC troopers were never expected to have to work together in groups larger than a dozen or so, because command didn't think that there was anything that the Overlanders could bring in that could possibly stand up to twelve of us in close combat, urban, or base styled missions. I don't know how to command an army… that's your mother's job." He finished with a wry grin and a nod in the direction of the woman he loved.

He reached forward, moved a rook ahead two rows, and took his hand off the piece. Saria's impish grin was the only warning that he got before one of her knights pounced and took it. The cybernetic hedgehog's ears drooped and he let out a groan.

The trademark smile remained on his face, though.

"How long before they wake up?" Sally asked.

"Probably about half an hour or so," Sir Charles said with a sigh. "I still don't know if it will work, though. You sure about this, Sonny?"

"No, dad, I'm not," he said as he ran a metal hand through his quills. "But I've got to give them a chance. They're my siblings after all… just like me."

"If there is anything we can do to help them, we will," Sally walked forward, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

He moved a piece and looked up into her eyes. The two shared a smile. He pulled her hand in towards his, pressed it to his lips, and gently cradled it within his own.

He was yanked back to reality by two words from his daughter.

"Check mate."

* * *

She became aware of a distinctive return to reality. The sense of touch returned first. She was on a table, or something similar. It was hard, unyielding, not too dissimilar to her bunk back at Alpha Base, but it lacked sheets. Smell followed. The air was clean, sterile, with a slight stench of antiseptics. Hearing, the beeping of several machines, a whirring sound, wheels upon metal. Something was moving, out there in the blackness.

Slowly, she cracked open an eye and stared around. Medical room of some sort. Large, numerous bacta tanks, operating tables, medical droids. But it wasn't like the ones back at home. The feel was different. Alpha Bases' medical labs were cold, industrial, just like everything else. This one had tiled walls, white instead of gray. She took a slight breath through her nose. Couldn't smell anything organic in the room, but that didn't mean there was nothing dangerous.

She twisted off of the slab, came down and landed upon her feet. Nothing. No blaster shots, no stunning bolts or frag weapons being through at her, no troops trying to restrain her.

"I've already looked around. There's nothing in here except for those med droids that are cleaning up."

She didn't look back over her shoulder, she knew it was Adrian. She did curse herself for her lack of attentiveness. Sure, the sniper could be sneaky when he wanted to be, but she still should have picked up some trace that he was out and about.

"Wake the others, we need to find our gear and get out of here before those Mobians manage to get any information out of us." The words felt strange, Shysa thought. There was something different now… something missing. She couldn't put her fingers on it.

The husky shook her head. She would have to worry about that later. There were more important things going on right now. Fortunately, Adrian had roused the rest of the squad within seconds. She looked over her family, her brothers and sisters. No harm done that she could tell, aside from the fact that everyone felt disoriented.

Now to get out of this place, wherever they were, and get back to the rest of the army.

They padded along, their feet making nary a sound as they moved down the corridor. Adrian was out on point, his ears swiveling about as he kept all his senses alert and ready for danger.

While not afraid, Shysa did find a bit of nervousness slithering about inside of her. She tried to banish it, send it away to whatever place it had spawned from, but she could not. He was still out there, somewhere. The one who had captured them. The one who had broken into Alpha Base and whisked off their prisoners in the middle of the night. The one who they had all come to fear: the Kyram Kal.

A door hissed open in front of them, triggered by their proximity. Shysa winced and half expected a blurred killing machine to dive in and start carving them up. She held her breath, briefly wondered if it would be the last one that she ever drew.

A dimly lit hallway stood before them. Nothing else. No invisible demon or Avatar of Death stood there waiting. She cursed herself a moment later. She was a Cuy'val Dar. She should not have felt fear like this. It was a disgrace and dishonor, to herself, her squad, and her people. So what if he had beaten her entire squadron? He was still just another obstacle that had to be overcome.

With a sharp gesture, she motioned the others forward. Silent as the wraiths from which they drew their titles, they moved. The hallway spilled out into a room that was around the corner. Light came from it, and Shysa could hear voices. One of then was deep, iron hard, and had a certain mechanized element that she knew all too well. That bit of fear cropped up again, but she threw it aside.

"So Tails' signed up?" the devil asked.

"Yes, he felt that he wanted to do his part in the war. He's at Station Square right now." Another voice, quieter, female, somewhat familiar.

"I see."

The squad looked about, desperately searching for another way. Shysa tried to stay calm. The devil that had captured them was only a few meters away from their position, probably armed and armored, and they had nothing. Combat was out of the question.

Still, though they searched everywhere for some other route, they could not find one. The six siblings exchanged looks among themselves, and a silent decision was reached. They crouched down, became as silent as the night air.

If they could surprise him…

"You can stop hiding back there… I know you're awake." The voice said.

The Clones exchanged another round of glances, and for the first time in their short lives, their despair overwhelmed them. Their shoulders slumped and they exchanged looked to one another a third time. As one, they stood up, their shoulders stiff, backs straight, like they were on a parade ground. If this was to be their end, they'd die like warriors. They'd make the Mandalore proud.

It was all that they could do to keep the shock from manifesting upon their faces when they rounded the corner. Sonic was there, as they'd expected. However, the company that he was not what they'd anticipated. They rocked back, instinctively falling into a defensive formation as they laid eyes on the princess.

Shysa and the others waited. Waited for the recognition, the accusation, and then for the girl to sic her apparently newfound killing machine upon them. Seconds passed, seconds that felt like an eternity. She kept starring, those azure eyes of hers boring into them.

Sally cocked her head, her mind's synapses rapidly firing. There was something… something familiar about these Clones. True, they all looked alike, and she had no idea how a squadron of super commandos were supposed to function, but still there was something…

"Well, ain't this awkward…" the wolf muttered.

"You…" Saria murmured, her hand at her temples. The girl shook her head abruptly.

Sonic looked from his daughter back to the group of Clones. "What, Saria?"

"They… feel just like the ones who captured us…" she rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.

The group visibly tensed, tightened their stances, awaiting the end. Sonic cocked his head to one side, and then to the other. How many seconds of life did they have left before the cybernetic warrior in front of them pounced?

"Were you?" Sally asked, her arms crossed, though there was no glare upon her face. "Were you the ones who came after us?"

"We were," the husky said. Her voice was proud, but not in a haughty way. "We were the ones that Overlord Shadow selected for the task of bringing you to him."

"How did you do that?" Sir Charles asked, his attention upon his granddaughter.

"Long story, pops, we'll tell you later," Sonic said over his shoulder. He turned his attention back to the Cuy'val Dar squadron. "We don't want to fight you, so you can relax. There's something important that you need to know, about yourself, and about your _vode_."

"What do you mean?" Bendark asked, his ears cocked back and his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Dad, show 'em."

The old hedgehog walked forward and slowly placed six objects down on a desk in front of them. He backed away a moment later, and let the Clones gaze at them. Slowly, keeping one eye upon Sonic at all times, they moved in towards them.

Bendark suddenly began to sniff the air, his lupine sense of smell picking up something very familiar: his own blood. His ears cocked backwards and his hackles rose slightly as he realized it was coming from the things in front of them. He located the one that smelled of himself and held it up.

It was a computer chip. It felt so small, so fragile, and he could see bits of circuitry glisten where his blood did not have it covered. He looked back over to Sonic, and to the princesses that were standing close to him.

"What are these?" he asked. His tone was harsh, cold, that of a man on guard for his very life.

"Neural regulator chips, designed to keep the thought process from deviating too much from a predefined set of programming," Sonic said and he thumped a metal finger to the side of his head. "They're a way of keeping a biological creature in line."

"So why is our blood all over them?" Shysa inquired, her golden eyes narrowed to a glare.

"Because I took them out of you." Sir Charles took a step forward again. His shoulders were stooped with fatigue, but there was something about him that seemed to give off some kind of inner strength. "Those chips have been in you since the day that you were born, regulating your thoughts and actions."

They gave him glares that ranged from skeptical to loathing. Sonic could feel the distrust that pulsed within them, animalistic and wild. The vixen in the group took a step forward.

"You expect us to believe this?" Vizsla asked, throwing a contemptuous gesture towards the chips. "Any amateur could have gotten some non-descript computer chips and put some of our blood on them while we were KO'd back in the med bay."

"We only want you to believe the truth," Sally said, "The man who had you created is using you. You're just pawns to him, a means to an end." She let her gaze flow over each one of the poor souls gathered in front of her. "You deserve better than that. You deserve better than what Shadow can offer you."

"We do what we do for our Mandalore, Princess, not for Shadow. We are proud to be what we are." Raz stood stiffer and straighter, his eyes blazing full of pride.

"And Shadow has taken that legacy and trashed it." Sonic's voice was filled with a bitter poison. "You are Cuy'val Dar, Those Who No Longer Exist, some of the best trained and lethal warriors Mobius has ever seen, and you're being used to enslave the world." He clenched a fist. The snarl on his face was soon replaced by a disgusted frown. "I don't understand how he can do it. How my brother can make more like us."

"Please, look at this," Sally took out Nicole and brought up the files that she had on the Neo Crusaders.

She moved around until she found the files dealing with the neural chips, and then brought up a hologram that showed the schematics.

She flipped through the various holograms, each one showing the chips' purposes in intimate detail. She kept looking over to the group, searching their faces for any signs of what they were thinking. She might as well have been trying to analyze the thought process of a wall.

"Anyone could create files dealing with, with the proper knowledge," Adrian began to say, but a sharp gesture from his leader cut him off.

"Let me see the computer," Shysa said, extending her hand out towards Sally.

The princess' eyes dated back and forth between the Clone and her beloved computer. Finally, though, she convinced herself that the husky in front of her would not do anything rash and harm Nicole, and handed her over.

The Cuy'Val Dar leader began to enter commands as quickly as she could, her hand a blur over the command inputs. She felt a nervous sweat start to break out on her forehead as she rushed through the data that was stored on the small AI. Flash trained in the arts of computer slicing, she was curious as to find that all the of the security around this particular set of files had been deactivated, and the machine was making no move to stop her from moving down deeper into the secrets that the files contained.

After more than two minutes of working on Nicole, Shysa stopped. She stood, her body stiff and straight as a board, as she gazed into what the flashing screen was telling her. The access dates and files of which the original, core documents had been transferred and downloaded, as well as the serial numbers of the computers from which they had been taken.

It had come from the central command of Alpha Base.

She wanted to deny it, to think that this was all some elaborate hoax to get them to spill their guts and then be disposed of once Sonic had gotten what he'd wanted out of them. But no, logic said, no, it could not be a fake. It was impossible to duplicate what she was looking at. Only Shadow and General Kintobor knew the identification codes of the computers, for they had designed them. This was no forgery.

Despair welled up inside of her as he showed what she had discovered to the rest of her squad.

* * *

The six Clones sat where they were. He saw the confusion on their faces, felt it within their minds. They were lost, like children that had wandered too far from home. Sonic supposed it was to be expected, considering the bombshell they'd just been hit with.

It wasn't everyday you woke up and suddenly found out that half your life was a lie.

"I don't understand," Kelborn said as he placed his head in his palms. "Why would the Mandalore allow for this to happen? Why didn't he protest?" He paused and his ears drooped. "Why would he allow us to become slaves?"

"He did protest." The ARC trooper stood up. "But Shadow wouldn't hear any of it. He wouldn't allow for your," he paused, searched for the right word, "leaders, to be cloned unless he had some means of keeping you in line. Jaster relented. He wants to save his people, no matter the cost of the bargain."

"But why would the Overlord do such a thing? Why would he limit us as he does?" Shysa asked as she looked into his white eyes.

"Why doesn't he have your armor made of the same material as mine? Why doesn't he give you energy shielding like his suit has?" the hedgehog asked and gave her a knowing glance. "He fears you. He knows what you are, he knows your loyalty to your Mandalore and to your comrades. He didn't want to run the risk of your turning on him."

They paused, and he could sense them all falling inward upon themselves. They were searching their minds and their hearts to see if his words rang true. The hedgehog didn't probe further; he scarcely dared to breathe as they continued their soul searching. This is what would make or break his hopes. This one instant.

They glanced up as one, stared into each others eyes, and then finally back to Shysa. She rose from her seat and clasped her hands behind her back.

"If what you say is true, then we have only one course of actions: We must free our brothers and our sisters, and try to show our Mandalore the error of his ways." The pride was in her voice again, and that steel that her kind had, the iron within them that refused to yield and break. "Use us as you will, Princess Acorn."

Sally remained seated, her eyes looking down upon the table. At last, she looked up and rose. She walked over to where the husky stood, and looked her in the eye. Slowly, she extended her hand, her right hand, and offered it to the Clone.

Shysa gripped it, and the ground squirrel felt the powerful muscles wrap around the ferrosteel of her hand.

Sonic nearly whooped in joy as he felt the stirring and unity within their minds. They spoke truthfully, this was not an act. It had worked, against all odds. Though he kept his expression neutral, the smile that he was holding back would have split his mouth open from ear to ear. They could do it. Together, they could save these people.

"I'm afraid we won't be able to allow you to work with the Mobian Royal Army, though," Sally said with a frown. "At least, not officially."

"Probably for the best," Sonic said as he leaned back against the wall. "Jaster and Shadow aren't stupid. We go public with the fact that we've been able to turn Clones to our side, and my brother's going to think up something new to keep them in line. Then there's me to worry about. I'm still technically bandit."

"With all due respect, Ma'am, Sir," Bendark nodded to each of them, "we're Cuy'val Dar, and we work best from the shadows, not out in public."

"Fair enough." The princess nodded.

"As glad as I am that this worked, I think we need to be getting back, Sally." Sir Charles' voice was anxious. "Someone's bound to have noticed that we've been gone for a while by now."

"You're probably right, and I need to check up on Derrick." She tapped her finger to her lips.

"Derrick?" Sonic asked, giving her a look. "Who's that?"

"A Mandalorian… you've met him before, ten years ago." She paused, looked down at the ground.

"Oh, I see." The ARC trooper bowed his head. "The Death Watchman I pummeled during your escape… How's he doing?"

"The injuries you gave him crippled him." Sally sighed, and then looked back over to Sir Charles. "He had himself roboticized earlier today. He wants to go back and fight, one last time."

The cybernetic hedgehog rocked back on his heels, his eyes wide open and his face was a study in shock. A Mobian, voluntarily roboticizing themselves? What was this world coming to? Had the hellish chaos that had been unleashed truly reached a point that such actions had become necessary?

"He's going to head down to where Tails is, and train the troops." She looked at the man she loved, peered into his face, and crossed her arms. "Derrick is an old friend of the Prowers, and he's promised to watch over him."

"Then I owe him one," Sonic said, his voice quiet, somber and reflective. "The little guy's really grown up." A faint chuckle followed the remark, and he shook his head. "Guess I better get you guys back. Don't want you father worrying himself sick over nothing."

He motioned for the Clones to follow him as he led them out of the medical wing towards the nearest tram.

* * *

"Do you really think he'll be safe with them around him?" Sir Charles asked as he looked out the window of the craft. "I know they're not being influenced by that neural chip anymore, but still. They are Mandalorians… and they don't give up on a cause easily."

"Sonic will be fine, Uncle Chuck. Don't worry about him." Sally reached up and flipped a switch, her voice as cool and calm as ever. A small grin formed at the corner of her mouth. "Besides, he's a living lie detector, he'd know if they weren't being sincere."

"What do you mean? And how was Saria able to know that those Clones were the same ones from before?" He leaned back in his seat, his face looking more weathered than it had in the days before.

Sally glanced over, saw how tired he appeared. The days events, Derrick's drastic actions, and the knowledge that his son was still alive and well, had apparently taken a huge toll upon him.

"Shadow's not unique," she put the aircraft on autopilot and looked over to the old hedgehog. "I've seen Sonic's memories… he showed me what he's been through, and what he's learned since he's been away. Something that you did when you genetically engineered the ARC troopers caused something to… 'wake up' inside of them. Their powers, it all comes from that." She stared into his eyes. "Whatever you and the other scientists did, you somehow triggered a leap forward in Mobian evolution."

"You mean that those two are like the next link in the chain?" His voice was filled with disbelief. "I don't understand… how?"

"He's not sure." She shrugged. "But Saria has it too." She looked back over her shoulder. The little girl was asleep, curled up in her seat. "She'll be able to do everything they can one day."

"And what exactly can they do?" the old man asked. "I've seen the more obvious ones, but you make it seem like there's something I've missed."

"Telekinesis, pyrokensis, moving around outside of their bodies, reading other peoples minds, that sort of thing." She paused and shuddered as she remembered how Shadow had torn into her mind. "Their strength, even their speed, all comes from what you unlocked in their minds. They're literally willing themselves to move faster than they should be able to." She sat back in her seat, let him digest that. "They can even see into the future."

"What?"

"They can see things before they happen, that's what Sonic told me." The princess licked her lips and sighed again. "He's not sure how he or Shadow can do it, but they can."

"Can they see anything they want?" Sir Charles tone was curious, a bit of the old scientist resurfacing.

Sally shook her head. "It's harder to make things out the further they are ahead. Nothing's fixed, more things can happen."

The old man fell silent, his hands propping his chin up. He started to laugh softly. The laughter turned slightly harsh as sobs crept in. A tear leaked down his face.

"I just can't believe he's alive. After all these years… I can't believe it."

"Neither could I, Uncle Chuck." Sally placed an arm around him, and smiled. "But he is, and that's all that matters." She gazed down at the battered ring on her hand. "And we're going to be there for him when he's finally ready to let everyone else know."

Sir Charles said nothing, merely nodded. His eyes spoke every word that was necessary.

* * *

Silence filled the apartment, no sound except for the soft clumping of metal shod boots upon wood.

Derrick stood up from the bench at which he had sat, and ran his eyes over his beloved rifle. The black metal glistened with such luster that it looked almost better than it had the day that he'd made it. All traces of dust had been carefully and laboriously removed from the charric.

He placed the gun down, moved to the next item, his helmet. Its obsidian and crimson colors were dulled with age. He'd have to fix that, and adjust the rest of his armor before he headed for the palace tomorrow. Still, he could work all through the night now to get it done on time.

Where his heart had once been was now a fusion cell with a century long half-life. He'd be good for a while, and that would be essential for him to do his job right.

He looked over the counter, and his photoceptors focused on one small thing. An old fashioned photograph, imprinted upon reactive film. Him, Jolee, and Brianna, up on the mountains of Concord Dawn.

She had been so small then, barely more than two years. And now here he was, about to head off to fight her, and the cause to which she had enlisted. More than two and a half decades of separation, and this was how he was going to meet her and his son-in-law.

He sighed and put a metallic finger on his temple. There would be time for that later. Now he had to get this done. There was more at stake here than just himself.

* * *

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Hope that everyone enjoyed this, chapter, and that I've done the story, and everyone else, justice, with this addition. I hope to get back on track, as far as updates are concerned, so wish me luck you there.

Thank you, once again, all of you that have helped to make this possible. Until next time…


	15. Boot

First off, let me once again apologize for falling behind schedule with my updates. School hasn't been going as well as I would have liked. On Wednesday, I learned a new policy over here at FSU. Apparently, if you're taking a lit class, and you have two books to read over and try to memorize key words and phrases from, and a few handouts, you are supposed to focus more upon the handouts, as that is where 75 percent of the questions come from.

The resulting stress appears to have damaged my immune system as well, and I've come down with what I think is a forty eight hour flu bug. I'm going to have to drive home (spring break, and my dorm is kicking us all out in about three hours.) doped up on medication. So I'd like to ask you to all pray for me.

With that in mind, I'm also going to promise to have a chapter out in a week from today.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has read the story, I only hope that you haven't gotten an aneurism from it. To those of you who have reviewed, I hope that I responded adequately, and that this chapter is not the POS that I'm starting to think it is (again I think my quality outputs been slipping lately, and I apologize for that.)

EDIT

Okay, to let you guys know. I am home safely, but my flu bug's been hanging around just a little longer than I expected. Thankfully, I think its in its last throes, and should be gone by tomorrow.

Lawyers: bugger off, I don't own anything except for the characters spawned from my demented and pain addled mind.

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Boot

A blaring, screeching alarm filled the air and startled him out of his dreamless sleep. Tails shot up from his bunk and was rewarded with a sharp pain to his forehead as he smacked it on the bunk above him.

"General quarters go, go, go!" he heard someone shout.

The two tailed fox summoned the willpower to force the pain from his mind and to roll out of his bed. He landed on the metal floor and rushed towards the doorway at the end of the room. A stream of men and women of all ages and species raced through the ten foot wide, double sealed portal. Cobwebs still clouded his mind as he turned the corner for the nearest armory. He tried to place the alarm, tried to remember what had been hammered into his head in the few days that he'd spent here.

One long blare, two shorts, and a warble. What one was that? He had to know that, had to be able to place it. One never knew if comms might be jammed and command couldn't give them the heads up.

"That an air raid siren?"

Tails turned to see Carmine rushing up behind him. The raccoon's eyes were barely open; likely they had not fully adjusted to the bright lights of the corridor.

"Armor assault from the northeast, moron." He was knocked aside and nearly lost his balance as Mina dashed by. The agile mongoose quickly made her way into the front of the pack and practically dove into the armory.

Tails had to resist the urge to frown. In the past few days he had learned a great deal about the girl. She was stubborn and exceedingly anti-social.

It had started from the very moment they'd arrived. As luck would have it, the girl had been placed within their fire team. As such, the young warriors had been attempting to get to know each other better. Mina, however, wanted nothing to do with it. She had refused to answer their questions when they'd sat down during meal times to talk, and Tails Carmine, or Joshua had been repeatedly met with a glare or an open threat of bodily harm if they didn't back off. Reluctantly, they had done so.

On the other hand, she was remarkably enthusiastic about the job she was getting into. On their first day she'd been the only one out of the bunks without having to have one of the training sergeants screaming in her ear. She'd finished the introductory obstacle courses the fastest and had made it abundantly clear in the short time that they'd been here that all of her 'free time' would be spent out on a range, mastering her weapons.

The young fox pushed his way through the sea of bodies in the armory as he searched for his gear. He found his locker and tore it open. Inside was his suit. Issued to them just yesterday, a pristine armored chassis stood before him. Produced by LCC, and code named the 'Erado,' it was the finest suit of personal armor ever produced under the long reign of the Acorns. Whether or not it would be able to stand up to the fury of the Neo-Crusader Jurkadir rifles, though, remained to be seen.

He'd been told at his induction that it had been tested against weapons that had that comparable yield, but he knew better than to take that at face value. After all, he had witnessed first hand what those weapons could do.

He practically jumped into his bodysuit, before he began to slap on the plates for his gear. The wrap-around chest and back plates came first. It was followed by the massive shin protectors and bulky arm guards, which tapered down to armored gauntlets that allowed for a surprisingly large amount of dexterity. After that came his supply belts.

Then, finally, the helmet. It was a traditional, fully encompassing piece of metal that reminded the young kit of a ski helmet, right down to the 'goggle' type visor. Tails slipped it on, booted up the systems, and then reached into his locker to grab his supply belt, grenades, and his lancer rifle. He paused just long enough to snag a rocket launcher and then was out alongside his two friends less than four minutes after entering. Carmine was busy prepping his rifle's underslung launcher as Joshua made the final adjustments to his far more complex helmet, which contained the squad's long range radio equipment.

The young fox looked around. No sign of Mina. Had she gone ahead without them?

"Fett, where are you?" he shouted into his helmet mike.

"Not letting you slow me down."

Her reply was harsh, condemning, and Tails had to fight the urge to swear. He motioned to the other two with a twitch of his shoulder.

"Let's move!" he shouted and the three of them fell out, their armored boots clomping against the floor of the barracks.

* * *

Derrick folded his hands behind his back as he gazed out upon the base. Twenty klicks away, the city of Station Square could be seen glistening in the predawn light. He saw the recruits start pouring out of their barracks, as the rushed to repel the imaginary foes that would be coming.

His newly enhanced eyesight showed him everything, every flaw, every plus. Their formations were too tight, no room to move if an AFV or a hover tank came crashing in. They had their squad support weapons, but not enough of them had thought to grab anti-armor weaponry. They were diving into the trenches at the edge of the base, setting up, preparing, but they were preparing to fight the wrong enemy. What rudimentary skills they had, and the orders being barked from sergeants and officers, were directed towards repelling a traditional, Mobian attack.

"What do you think?"

The Death Watchman didn't turn or look over his shoulder. He knew the man behind him, a badger by the name of Alexis, was taking pride in having taut them this much in a short a time as he'd had.

"Impressive, considering they're as raw as you can get." Derrick tapped a finger to his helmet, and looked down at one particular soldier, who was out and rushing to her position, no sign of the team that she was supposed to be with. He frowned. "But they don't have the coordination they're going to need. And, they're preparing all wrong."

"What do you mean?" Colonel Alexis asked as he walked up to the window.

"You've prepared them for a traditional 'Mobian' tank attack," the old warrior said, and he made a sweeping gesture down to the assembling troops. "I've studied your tactics, you rely on your tanks' armor and rush down to overwhelm the troops with fire support and organically incorporated heavy infantry. Mandalorians won't fight like that."

"What would the Neo-Crusader's do? What can we expect?" Alexis' voice was neutral, but Derrick could sense the unspoken nervousness about him. He didn't blame him one bit.

"Our tactics are something of a melting pot, Sir," he said as he stared to his new superior out of the corner of his eye. "We've cherry picked the best of what every enemy we've ever encountered has to offer and blended it with our own. In this scenario, they'd be using long range artillery barrages to suppress your men, while the tanks themselves sniped your defenses and heavier fortifications."

"I see," Alexis frowned. "Guess we'd better take you down and get you introduced to them so you can start, eh, Sergeant?"

"That would probably be best, Sir."

With that they turned and walked out of the Colonel's door.

* * *

Two long blasts of the siren, the all clear. Tails rose with a sigh, and placed his rifle up against his shoulder. A drill. It had just been an exercise. A sigh of relief made its way out of his throat as he turned around to head towards the parade ground. Since they were already up, he knew that the officers were about to start running them through the rest of their training drills.

The past two days had been an absolute hell. Hours upon hours of time spent doing physical exercises, marksmanship training, small squad tactics, and the like ensured that this would not be a cakewalk. He briefly wondered if Sonic's training had been anything like this, what sort of hell he had put himself through in an effort to become the best soldier that the Freedom Fighters had ever seen.

"Anyone got a hypo full of caffeine?" Carmine asked as he pushed himself up from the ground and stifled a yawn. "I feel like I'm about to fall asleep on my feet."

"No, and if I did I'd sure as hellfire would be using it on myself." Joshua was clearly feeling the effects of his adrenaline rush fading away. "Anyone know how long it takes for you to get used to this sort of thing?"

"Not a clue," Tails said with a shake of his head. "I'd wager by about week two or three our bodies will have adjusted to the strain. Either that, or we'll have breakdowns."

He willed his feet to move towards the parade ground and get him there before he gave his drill sergeants another reason to scream obscenities at him. His father had warned him that they would be mean as a wounded drexyl through training, but the young fox had believed that it was hyperbole on the part of his old man.

The first five minutes of his training had shown him just how right his father was. Obscenities had been hurled his direction, every derogatory name, phrase, or title that he had ever heard of, and a few that he hadn't. Demerits in the form of dozens and scores of pull ups, laps, or other such disciplinary measures had been issued for the slightest of infractions or for not getting the job one hundred percent right.

But he wasn't going to let those guys get to him. He wasn't about to quit and go home, not this early. He knew that he had a job to do, that there would be people, dead and alive, who were counting upon him to do that job well.

Pride and honor swelled within his chest and he brought himself to a ramrod straight stance as he hit his spot on the parade ground. He held his rifle in both hands, at a forty five degree angle across his chest, upwards and to the left. His two comrades fell in next to him half a second later, and without turning his head, he glanced to them out of the corner of his eyes. They stood as he did, without moving or fidgeting, like terra-cotta soldiers guarding the eternal rest of an ancient warlord, their only movement the slight trembling of their bodies when they took a breath of filtered air.

The ranks to their side and behind them began to fill up as more Royal Army troopers found their way to their positions. Mina fell in next to Carmine, and Tails heard the sharp intake of breath form his friend. Whether it was from the proximity of a female or whether he was just scared of the girl, the fox could not determine, though based upon the way in which the mongoose had treated them over the past few days, he suspected that it was the latter.

It was then that Tails noticed something odd about his situation. There were some sergeants and non commissioned officers at the far end of the field, but they were not marching towards him and the rest of the recruits to give them another day of hell. They stood where they were, at parade rest. Something was up.

The two tailed fox switched his visor over to the infrared spectrum, and gaze around the field. What was going on? Those men and women on the far side of the pavement wouldn't be just standing there waiting for no particular reason. The Colonel must have had something special in mind for them today.

For some reason, that thought made the young man very uneasy, and he had to resist the urge to fidget in his spot.

They stood as they were for another three minutes before a door on one of the buildings opened, and Colonel Alexis emerged. He was in his dress uniform, and a number of tours of duty pins were just above the left breast of his shirt. His officer's cap was perfectly straight, and he marched towards the hundred thousand strong block of troops in front of him. Camera droids followed along side of him, broadcasting his image to the computerized HUDs of the troops that would otherwise have been unable to see him.

He came to a stop some fifty paces in front of the living wall. As he switched back to normal viewing, Tails saw the man's cold, steel gray eyes move back and forth. Yes, something was definitely up, but he knew better than to voice his opinion. He didn't fancy starting his day off with an extra one hundred pushups.

"Good morning, grunts." His voice was a growl, one hardened by years of active experience and barking orders over the chaos of a guerilla battlefield. "Nice to see that you're all so attentive." He paused, and once more looked over the lines. "I've gathered you here this morning to inform you maggots that you will be receiving a brand new training instructor."

Behind his visor, Tails' eyebrow arched. This was certainly not what he'd been expecting. What had happened to bring about this change?

"This individual has been hand picked and directed here by order of the Royal Family itself. They feel that he is the most qualified individual available to oversee your training." Alexis continued, unaware of the thoughts that ran through the minds of the new recruits. "You are to obey an order that comes from him as if it were an order from King Elias himself. Are we clear?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" the men and women shouted.

"You expect to drive back the Neos with that?" The badger cocked his head to one side. "Dear Goddess, we're not even going to have the option of harsh language! Now, dammit, are we clear?"

Tails was certain that the citizens tucked away in their beds in the nearby metropolis would receive a very rude awakening in a few minutes.

"Much better," Alexis said. "Now then, I think it's time that all of you greenies met your new instructor."

The Colonel looked back over his shoulder and nodded towards the line of drill instructors. A line of them parted, and a hangar door opened. Light spilled out to it, like it was the yawning mouth of some great beast. Between the illuminated tanks, AFVs and armored personnel carriers, they could see a single individual, lit up as if he were some manner of otherworldly being.

He marched out onto the parade ground, his steps smooth and even, those of a man who more than knew what he was doing. There was a confidence to his pace, something that Tails could recall Sonic having had when he was at the top of his game. Behind him were rows of other people, their faces also hidden by the bright light.

As he came closer, the young fox could make out the armor that he wore, and his mouth dropped open behind his helmet as he gazed upon it. Black as the early morning sky above their heads, with dashes of bloody crimson here and there, it was unmistakable.

A slight wind blew through the massive parade ground, and caught the armorweave belt spat that the man wore. His armor wasn't as large or bulky as theirs, but as he looked over to his two comrades in arms, Tails knew that the Death Watchman was putting on one hell of a show. Carmine and Joshua were a dictionary picture of the term intimidated.

The Mandalorian came to a stop next to Colonel Alexis, and saluted as the rest of his entourage closed ranks behind him.

"Master Sergeant Derrick Ordo reporting for duty, Sir."

Tails had to fight the urge to step out of ranks and gawk at this. Uncle Derrick? His old enough to look like he was seventy, suffering from cancer, fighting days long over Uncle Derrick? How? It couldn't be him, could it? Where was the limp, the slump of the shoulders form a man who had lost too much in life? Even his voice sounded renewed and full of power.

"At ease, Master Sergeant," the badger said, and then gestured out over the block of troopers in front of them. "What do you think?"

Derrick paused for a moment and cocked his head. "I've seen more menacing looking dirt farmer militias." He took a couple of steps towards the recruits. "All of you, listen up, because this is orientation and I am not going to repeat myself. As you know, my name is Derrick Ordo. You, however, will refer to me as Master Sergeant, Sir, or Sarge, am I understood?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" Tails shouted in unison with a hundred thousand other voices.

"Good. Now let's get one thing straight," Derrick said as he began to pace up the line, headed towards his 'nephew's' unit, "in this system, I am now effectively your mother, father, or any other authority figure you have ever had in your lives. Out here, my word is law, and if you do not obey it to the letter you will be reprimanded… harshly. In war, refusal to obey orders or get them right gets people killed, needlessly.

"And make no mistake, you are preparing for war, a challenge that will surpass anything you had ever thought possible in your short lives and make every other accomplishment you've ever done look pathetic in comparison." The artic fox stopped in front of Tails' fire team. "Getting ready for this will not be easy. I would promise you sleep deprivation, mental torment, and muscles so sore you'll puke, but I do not like to sugar coat things, so I won't. I am going to train you as a Mandalorian is trained, because make no mistake, boots, that is what you are about to fight."

Tails stared right into the T shaped visor on Derrick's helmet. Within his heart there swelled an overwhelming need to prove himself worthy, a desire that almost scared him.

"You will be engaging a foe that has been trained how to kill a target in dozens of different ways from the day it was old enough to think clearly," the Mandalorian did an about face and started to walk back up the line. "An enemy that kills as a soldier kills, as ruthlessly, mercilessly, and efficiently as is humanly possible. An enemy who is single mindedly dedicated to their cause and whose morale cannot be broken. An enemy who is a living, breathing, combat drone that absolutely will not stop until you put it down for good. So when I'm beating, tormenting, and pushing you to within an inch of your life and sanity, you can thank me."

He gestured behind him, to the group of soldiers lined up.

"These are my subordinates, hand picked by his Majesty for their knowledge of how to fight and kill my kind. You will obey them as if their orders had come from myself or Colonel Alexis, am I clear?"

Again, the military affirmative rang through the early morning air.

"Let me stress that any breach of conduct, however slight, will be dealt with unsympathetically. You are going to be fighting enemies who give new meaning to the term 'disciplined' and you must be prepared to meet that level if you want to have any chance of victory." Derrick's voice rang out, proud, strong, full of a power that seemed almost hypnotic to the young fox who was watching him. "You will work together as you would never have thought possible. The soldier to your left and right will be your family, your brothers and sisters. You must be that close, that dedicated to one another, if you want to win."

"So long as they don't hold me back," Tails heard Mina mutter.

Derrick stiffened. He brought one hand up across his chest and Tails could tell that he was clinching it into a fist. He whipped around and stomped his way over towards the young man's group. He held his breath as his uncle came up next to him.

"Who said that?" the artic fox growled, a simmering rage in his voice. "All of you, helmets off."

The group reached up and removed their headgear, shifting it to where it was held underneath their left arm. Tails could tell that Derrick's gaze lingered on him for a second or two. Then he went back to looking up and down the line. He paused in front of Mina, and then took a step back and crossed his arms over his chest, sizing her up.

"You have something you want to say to me, Private?" There was an audible snarl to his voice. "Should I repeat what I just heard?"

Mina remained defiantly silent, and the Master Sergeant moved in closer. The black visor, with the bloody mythosaur skull around it, was reflected in her eyes.

"Individual heroism is a good thing, but it is no match for the might of a unified and disciplined fire team, you _di'kut_. Those people who you fear 'are going to hold you back' are going to be the only thing covering your sheb when the fire starts flying." He pressed a finger into the Mongoose's chest. "Considering your heritage, I would have expected you to know that by now."

There was a tick in the girl's eye, a simmering rage from the insult that had come from one of her own. Her tight lipped mouth drew into a small frown, and she visibly trembled. Derrick stared at her for another minute, into the rage that blazed in her eyes.

The old man nearly sighed. He would have to bring her into line, fast. He knew one way to do it, one way that she would respect and that would rid her of that damnable pride that had been the downfall of so many warriors. He turned to face the soldier nearest to him, the raccoon named Carmine. The Death Watchman unslung his rifle and took his zhaboka out of its holder.

"Hold these," he said as he thrust them into the recruit's hands.

He turned back to face Mina, let his visor bore into her face once again.

"Place your rifle on the ground, gently," he said, and then turned his back to her and moved away from the line. He stopped at ten paces and then turned around. "Come on then, boot, let's see how good you are."

Mina did not need to be told twice. She was eager to prove herself, to show this old man wrong. She dashed in with a speed Tails would not have thought possible from a normal Mobian. She lashed out in with a powerful left cross, as if she wanted to smash Derrick's head in.

With a flick of his arm, Derrick swatted the blow harmlessly aside.

Mina snarled and spun around, bringing her right leg up to roundhouse the Death Watchman.

He caught the blow at the ankle and twisted. With a grunt, the mongoose went down. She was back on her feet in an instant though, and struck at the artic fox again. He seemed to almost casually sidestep the punch aimed for his head, before brining his elbow down on Mina's arm. She let out a grunt of pain and stumbled back.

"Stop trying to hit me, and hit me." His words were calmly chiding, mocking her efforts. "If that _is_ the best that you can do, young one," he jumped over a sweep kick, "then I believe the rest of your unit will have to fear you holding _them_ back."

The girl let out a scream of pure, animalistic rage and tried to shoulder charge him. Once again, Derrick danced out of the way.

"Are you watching this, recruits?" he asked, his voice echoing over the loudspeakers. "Do you see what I was trying to tell you? Lack of discipline dooms you to failure against any competent foe."

Mina charged him again but this time the old man did not dodge. As she neared him, he leaped forward and somersaulted through the air. As he passed over his opponent's head, he reached out and grabbed her around her shoulders. The young recruit was given a very rapid introduction to the laws of physical mechanics as Derrick came down and threw her through the air.

She soared five full meters before she crashed to the ground and rolled over the pavement. She came to a rest near her gun and equipment. With a groan she tried to rise up again.

There was a snick and she felt something pressed up against her throat. Groggily, she turned and saw Derrick standing next to her, his Thek'la ejected from his wrist and pressed against her neck.

"Consider that a free first lesson in the art of becoming a Mandalorian warrior, kid." His voice was clam, and she noticed that he wasn't even out of breath.

"As you are, you won't last five seconds in a fight against a Neo-Crusader. But," he reached up to his helmet, "with a little bit of training, you can be made into a fearsome killing machine."

There was a half stunned recoil among the troops as the realized what their new instructor was. Only Tails did not take that small step back, only he did not break ranks. But that was merely because he was too stunned for thought or action of any kind.

Uncle Derrick, roboticized? All of it made so much sense now. How he seemed renewed, full of power and purpose. But had he not thought of the cost?

He was given no further time to think, as with a snap of the Mandalorian's fingers, the new drill sergeants rushed forward, and the days activities began.

"Push ups, one hundred, sound off!" one of them screamed.

Tails groaned and his slung his rifle over his back and dropped to the ground. That many pushups right off of the bat? And in full battle gear? With all of his equipment and armor meant an additional thirty kilos to his workload.

He grunted as he thrust himself upwards. By the time that he'd hit ten, he was already sweating, despite his armor's climate control systems. By thirty, his limbs were beginning to ache. Fifty, the ache had become a burn. He could hear the gasping of his squad around him as they counted the number they were on. Seventy five, that burning had become a mind numbing agony. His body screamed for him to stop. He wanted to give up, drop to the ground and catch his breath.

He willed himself to keep going. He had to do this. It was part of the job. He had to get stronger, or he would never survive what was ahead.

He hit one hundred, and if his lungs hadn't been screaming for air, he would have whooped in joy. Slowly, he rose back up, Carmine and Joshua following suit a couple of seconds later. The young man let his gaze drift over to his new superior. Derrick's visage was hidden behind his helmet again, but Tails' had known his uncle long enough to know his body language. He could tell that the Mandalorian was looking at him, and that his metal face had a smile on it.

One by one, the units finished, and got back up. Derrick moved forward again, his hands now clasped behind his back.

"Jumping jacks, two hundred, sound off!"

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"Movement to the left!"

"I see her."

Blue colored pulses filled the air, a harsh contrast to the gentle twilight sky. The targeted Clone pulled herself back around the corner of the damaged transport before the bolts could hit her. A barrage of purple fire came back from her position a second later.

With a curse, Bendark threw himself behind his cover. The bolts struck the metal of the AFV's smoking chassis. The metal heated white hot, and the Cuy'val Dar saw his external temperature gauge spike upwards. The thought of calling in support from Kelborn crossed his mind, but he shook his head and dismissed it after only a moment. The heavy weapons operator was busy making sure that the troopers inside one of the armored attack vehicles were down for the count. The rest of the squad was also tied up, as was their fearless commander. He'd just have to settle this in a more personal manner.

He reached into his belt and drew out a silver orb. The commando nodded to himself as he depressed the red trigger, counted to three, and then lobbed it overhead.

A metallic thunk rewarded his efforts, and he knew he had been spot on. Two seconds later, he could hear the sound of crackling electricity filling the air as the grenade went off.

The ion bolts would keep her down for a moment or two, no longer than that. Bendark rushed out from behind his position and up alongside the side of the vehicle. He flicked his gun to automatic fire as he came up on where his foe was. Another flick of a switch and a small square appeared in the upper corner of his HUD. He stuck his Jurkadir around the corner and opened fire. The other Clone attempted to dodge, but there was only so much she could do. In less than a second, more than twenty five rounds struck her. Her armor was tough, her resilience superhuman, but even she couldn't put up with that much.

He let out a sigh of relief as his enemy collapsed to the ground.

"Got another one here, I think that might have been the last of them." He informed the rest of the squad. He glanced at his HUD display, still had enough power for a couple hundred more stunner rounds from the energy magazine.

"Roger that, but I want you guys to double and then triple check that." Sonic's voice was cool and calm, every bit the stoical soldier that Jaster had said he was. "These vehicles give off some pretty intense ECM jamming, they could be using that to hide themselves from our sensors."

"Yes sir." He nodded.

"I want battle buddies back together, that way we can't get surprised." Shysa ordered, and the squad wordlessly complied.

Kelborn moved up next to where he was, and hung ten meters behind him, far enough that a grenade couldn't get them both.

During their search, the last of the sunlight finally slipped beneath the horizon. A moonless night left them in almost absolute darkness, with small, sputtering fires the only thing to give vision to the unaided eye.

With a thought, the Clones cranked up the power of their night vision, while Sonic's optical implants automatically increased the blood flow to his eyes, returning their world to normal.

The cybernetic hedgehog kept his mind alert, searched for any sign of foes that had not yet been incapacitated. He let his mind reach out, searched among the ruins of the convoy, but couldn't get a good feel for anything. Must have been the interference of a several dozen Clones just lying where they fell, unconscious but not dead.

"Team Gamma here, all clear, no signs of hostiles." Rav said, but Sonic could tell that he was still tense and ready to pounce.

"Same over here, no contact with anything." Bendark radioed in.

"Alpha Team confirms nobody still on their feet in our sector." Shysa said.

"Okay then, let's pack it up and get these guys onboard." Sonic pondered for a moment which course of action was the best one. He hadn't known the squad that he was working with for more than a couple of days, but already it was becoming obvious to him what their strengths and weaknesses were.

He opened up his radio. "Shysa, you and Vizsla get them into transport craft and get ready to haul them back to base. One of you drive, the other stand guard. Any of them so much as twitch, hit them with another dosage of stun rounds. Bendark, Kelborn, you two help them out. Copy?"

"Roger, will-co." The grenadier said, and the two of them sprang into action.

"Adrian, Rav, You guys find the AFVs that are the least damaged, crank 'em up, and provide support. I'll fly top-cover in the LAAT and get rid of any evidence of what really happened here. And make sure that you grab as much gear and supplies as you can. I'd rather not destroy these weapons if I don't have too." He turned and started to jog back towards the copse where they had hidden their ride, about two clicks away.

Chatter echoed back and forth over his speakers as his soldiers, no, he fellows, his comrades in arms, amiably talked about what had happened.

"Well, this adds another fifty five troops to our ranks. Should make things a hell of a lot easier for us." Bendark, coming out of his adrenaline induced combat mode, was rapidly returning to the squad joker.

"Yeah, but let's not get too cocky, Ben. Sooner or later, Shadow's going to figure out what we're up to, and then what?" Vizsla grunted, and they heard the sound of neosteel armor clanking to the floor of a vehicle.

"Oh, come on, Vizsla, stop being such a downer," the wolf fired back.

"I'm backing our demo girl on this one," Shysa said as she also placed a downed trooper in the holding bay of the most intact transport craft. "Besides, unless the Royal Army cranks out some bigger noisemakers, they're in trouble. We had to empty an entire power cell from that ion cannon to get one of the transports to shut down, and let's not even talk about those AFVs."

"People, can we please try to stay optimistic about this?" Sonic cut in as he raced up to the gunship and stepped inside of it. "We just took down our first convoy together, can free the minds of more than four dozen of our brothers and sisters, and with zero casualties as icing on the cake. I'd say that's cause for celebration in my book."

"Question."

"Yeah, Ben?" the ARC trooper asked as he started the LAAT up and gently lifted it up into the air.

"What's cake?"

Sonic arched an eyebrow behind his helmet, remained silent for several seconds as his brain digested this tidbit. Finally, he responded.

"Are you being serious?" He couldn't keep an incredulous tone out of his voice.

"For once in his life, yes," Shysa cut in.

He chuckled loudly over the comm. system as he brought the ship down by the ruins of the convoy. The hedgehog jumped out. But before he made a move to grab all the weapons he could stuff into the gunship without going over the acceptable weight limit of the craft, he jogged over towards the grenadier.

"Tell you what," he placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "when we get back to base, I'll have the ration computers whip us one up. How 'bout it?"

"Sounds good to me," the wolf said with a nod, and then trotted over towards a supply crate and effortlessly picked it up.

"Yeah, can't possibly be as bad as those 'chili dogs' he made last night." Shysa said, and they could hear the smirk in her voice.

"Heretic." The hedgehog grumbled.

He shook his head as the squad laughed, and then went to work. There were a lot of supplies to be moved, and they needed to get out of here before his brother realized that the convoy wasn't reporting in and sent someone to investigate.

He couldn't let that happen. If the would be tyrant discovered what they were up to, Goddess only knew what he'd do to his soldiers to prevent their capture.

That thought spurred him on, and he began to double his efforts, rushing back and forth between the LAAT and the transport crafts.

* * *

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Okay, hope you all enjoyed that, or at least found it tolerable. However, if you did spot something wrong, however small or large, let me know so I can patch it up, as I plan to edit it later on once I get home to let you know my trip was safe.

Along those lines, any form of feedback is greatly appreciated, especially constructive criticism and other such ideas. I've got to improve, and that's the only way to do it.

Thank you all once again, for all the help you've been in the past.

Until next time, be safe everyone and I'll hopefully see you back here in a week.

Top of Form


	16. Flashback

Hello everyone. Sorry this is a little late, but I've been dealing with school again. Yay /sarcasm. At any rate, though, I've been going full out on this chapter since I got over my bug, and I hope the results from my fever addled brain are good (can you tell I'm nervous as hell over here?)

As always, many thanks to everyone who has takent he time to read this story. I know we're all busy out there and there are other things you could be doing. For those of you who left me reviews, I hope I responded adequately and answered any questions that you might have. Again, you have my thanks for your time. bows politely

Lawyers: you know the drill. I don't own anything but my OCs. Now shoo, shoo! Go sue McDonalds or something, I hear someone got an ice cream headache from their McFlurry.

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Flashback

They marched back towards their bunks, their heads drooped downwards and their footsteps weary. Some had slumped shoulders, others wear nearly bent over double. Yawns were heard all around, and here and there, a recruit would stumble and barely manage to catch themselves before they fell. Others were not so lucky, and had to be hoisted up by comrades or actually hit the permacrete floor.

Almost a month had passed since Derrick Ordo had taken over the training of the Royal Army divisions that had been stationed at the base, and during that period of time, there was not a member of the up and coming military that had not cursed his name. Their previous few days under Mobian instructors were now something longed for like some kind of utopian dream.

Their training days were now sixteen long hours of hell. They began before dawn, two hours worth of calisthenics in full battle gear and supplies. That alone was exhausting, and on the first couple of days, many a young soldier had made the mistake of puking into their helmets. In addition to having to go for the rest of the day with bit of their own last meal wafting in their nostrils, they had to clean the helmet out after everything was finally over for the day.

After those general exercises, the more specific training began. Tests on the firing range, operation of armored vehicles and hover tanks, explosive demolitions and emergency medical training. All of the people who would b best for those jobs had already been separated from the main body of the troops before training had even begun, but the Master Sergeant insisted that everyone have at least a basic knowledge of how everyone else did their job.

Tactical training followed this. The fire teams had been expanded to include six people now, a rifleman, two grenadiers, a squad automatic weapon operator, a scout, and someone in charge of communications. On this level the groups were being trained on every environment that Mobius had to offer. Desert, jungle, urban, tundra, forest, and open grasslands. They were being instructed on how to work together as a team to suppress enemy positions, employee flanking maneuvers, call in artillery strikes or close air support when needed, and how to used combined arms maneuvers. Every time a different person from the squad was put in charge in an attempt to evaluate who would make the best unit commanders.

Then came more cohesive moments with the entire platoon, forty men and women working together to try and get some objective accomplished with the fewest casualties while carrying on proper communications to and from their General Headquarters.

All in all, it left them quite exhausted, and longing for sleep once the day was done.

"I swear, if I have to dig one more foxhole…"

"Put a lid on it, Carmine, we're just going to have to do it over again tomorrow, whether you like it or not." Tails rubbed his blood shot eyes as he slumped over towards his bunk.

"I just don't want to have to make another run through the sickener."

"You said it, bro."

"Terry, Erick, same goes for you," Tails said.

The two individuals in question were the new editions to his unit. Otter twins with a dark fur complexion and blue eyes, they surprised everyone with just how young they appeared to be. Still, their credentials had been legitimate, and they were the proper age. Like most identical twins, they were all but inseparable, and their roles were beginning to reflect that. Terry was specializing in the use of the AM-50, a high powered, squad level repeating blaster. Erick carried spare packs for his brother.

Now if only he could get them to get more serious about their duties…

He felt a tap on his shoulder and glanced backwards. Behind him was one of the new drill instructors, a stern, impassive gaze fixed on his features.

"Sergeant Ordo wants to see you, Private, and you as well," he gestured over to Mina.

All at once, the young fox didn't feel quite so sleepy anymore. In the month of so that Derrick had been teaching them, he hadn't requested to see him once, or even pulled him aside on one of the drills. What was with the big changeup now? And why did he want to see Mina as well?

Still, he knew better than to ask those questions until he was face to face with the old Death Watchman.

The trip to Derrick's quarters took about five minutes. To Tails' surprise, he was standing by the window, his back to them and his helmet off. One arm was braced up against the wall as he leaned forward.

"Prower first, wait outside, Fett." He said without turning around.

The mongoose saluted and then hastily moved out of the room. As the door sealed behind her, the roboticizied warrior finally turned around. He slowly stepped towards his nephew, and a smiled formed upon his metal visage.

"Your putting on some muscle," his voice had a soft chuckle to it, "my morning exercises must be doing some good after all."

"Yes sir," Tails said as he came to parade rest.

"You can drop the formalities here, Mil'ika, this is just a chat between family." Despite his condition, it seemed as though Derrick still had his humor with him.

"Why haven't you wanted to speak with me before now?" the young man's voice echoed his confusion, a small tinge of pain in it as well.

"I haven't had the chance," the artic fox said with a shake of his head. "Colonel Alexis has been taking full advantage of the fact that I don't sleep and has kept me running around the clock. This is the first moment that I've gotten to have a chance to speak with you." He paused and leaned back against a desk, placing a gauntleted hand upon his helmet. "So, have you been enjoying your time here?"

"Verbal beatings, more pushups than I'd care to keep track of, and learning how to kill, what's not to like?" he crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm a little scared, I guess. I've seen what I'll be fighting, and when I tried to stand up to 'Smith' or whatever the hell he was, he took me down in seconds… and there wasn't a thing I could do to stop him."

Derrick got up and placed a gentle hand on Tails' shoulder. He gave a slight squeeze, and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"You were a spooked civilian with an underpowered pop gun then, son. This time you'll be a soldier, trained and equipped." He looked up for a second, and then shook his head once again. "You know, I always wondered if you would choose this path in life."

"Did you think I would?"

"Oh, the idea struck me as probable." Derrick nodded an affirmative. "After all, soldiering is in your blood, kid. It's in your family and history. It's even in your name."

"What?" Tails cocked his head, an eyebrow arched upwards. "What do you mean, Unc?"

"Did you ever wonder where the name Miles comes from?" The Mandalorian asked, a knowing smile on his face.

"I assumed it was Ancient Mobian for something." The young man shrugged.

"Ancient, yes. Mobian, no. The word comes from an old Overlander tongue called Latin." Derrick saw the look of confusion that had manifested on his nephews face and his photoceptors lit up. "Yes, a virtually dead language even by the time they first arrived on this planet, but before our relationship went south, it was added to the archives and even taught in a few cases." He paused, thought about what to say next. "In that language, your name literally means soldier."

The young fox remained where he was, silent for a moment or two, and his twin namesakes swishing back and forth. Finally, he raised his head and spoke.

"Interesting, but I know that you didn't just call me in here for that."

"True, son. I wanted to make sure you were holding up okay, and to make certain that you're prepared for what's going to happen." He could hear the concern in the voice of his uncle, and it caused the hair on the back of his neck to stand on end.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean that by the way these performance sores are showing up, that you're going to wind up a squad leader, possibly a platoon commander, before this is all done. I want you to be prepared for that level of responsibility." Derrick sighed heavily and his gaze drifted towards the floor. "You are going to be responsible for the lives of every single person under your command. Your going to start to treat them like your family… and sooner or later, you're going to watch some of them die."

The thought hit Tails like a wall of bricks. He rocked backwards on one of his heels, and he winced. He'd knew that was a possibility, but he'd tried to keep himself from thinking about it. Never hearing Carmine or Joshua banter back and forth, never hear the voice of the twins, or anything like that.

The floor suddenly became interesting.

"It won't be easy, son. I know. But it is a job that someone has to do in the army. What you have to do, though, is make certain that anyone who dies under your command has spent their life, and not wasted it. Make sure that they die doing something worthy of their blood." Derrick squeezed his shoulder again, there was a gleam in the electronic eyes of the old man, something that seemed to be pleading with him. "That was one thing that bothered me the most when I fought in the Great War. Time and again, I saw men and women sacrificed for nothing, on both sides. I saw them die in holding actions that had no chance of success and had no impact in the long run. I saw them ordered to charge heavily fortified enemy positions without proper support… and then there were intelligence blunders like Dagon's Peak… Just promise me, Mil'ika, that when you make that call, when you send someone to their death, make bloody well sure you do it for a good reason."

"I promise." The boy tried to swallow past the lump that he felt in his throat. It wasn't easy, the thought of people he knew and liked dying, or he himself. But he knew it was part of the job, and that he had to get used to it somehow.

"How do you do it?" he asked. "How do you make yourself do something like that?"

"By knowing that we are born to die, every one of us has to go sometime. And be telling yourself that the sacrifice of that man or woman will save lives in the end." The old man walked over towards the window again, stared out beyond it. "It still won't be any easy thing for you to do, but you have to start to look at the big picture when you get into a command position."

Tails remained silent. His mind churning and his thoughts ranging far and wide as he tried to hold onto every detail of what Derrick had just told him. He was aware of his uncle walking past him, and opening the door. He heard Mina's footsteps, soft and subtle, despite her weariness. He had a feeling that she was going to wind up being the scout for his fire team.

"What did you want to see me about, Sir?" the fox thought he could detect a note of uneasiness in her voice, strange, considering that she was normally so self confident and assured.

"You, private." The Death Watchman said. He clasped his hands behind his back and stared her in the eye. "I want to know your story."

"Why should you care… Sir?" bitterness filled the voice this time, and as Tails looked over to her, he saw a note of anger in her eyes.

"Because, trooper, it's been years since I've even seen another of our kind, let alone had a chance to speak with one of them. I'm certain there's stuff you'd like to tell me, as well." Derrick was calm, almost soothing.

Tails realized that his uncle was doing it again, switching between the two sides of himself. One moment a harsh, ultra pragmatic soldier, the other, a loving member of a family. Sally could do it just as well, Sonic too, when he had been alive. Could all soldiers do such things, he suddenly wondered. Or had he just had the good fortune to grow up around people who could do it so well?

"Why is he still in here, then?" the mongoose nodded in the fox's direction.

"Because Prower's father saved my life, and the boy's my unofficial nephew." The Mandalorian raised a finger pointedly. "While I may not show that affection for him when I'm molding him into a warrior, it does have its moments. Besides, he's a member of your squad. He needs to know about this anyway."

The girl cocked her head back and forth, and then seemed to accept this explanation. She crossed her arms over her chest, and then stared down at the floor of the office, a melancholy look upon her face.

"My parents both fought at Malachor. Side by side, as they'd lived. But like so many others, they died that day. My father, Marth, in the traditional sense… Isabella, mom, spiritually. The things she saw, the destruction and slaughter, I think it broke her. It was only after she was captured that she found out she had me inside of her. She carried me, but the birth took a lot out of her… and then the Mobian government ripped me out of her arms."

"What do you mean?" Tails asked.

"I was put up for adoption. My mother was a prisoner of war, after all, and they didn't think that a prison cell was a great way for a child to come up in the world. Probably would have been doing me a favor, though." She laughed bitterly. "It was the last straw for mom. She'd kept herself alive for me… and she never even got to hold me… It shattered her. She took her own life two days after I was born. What little I do know of her I learned from the prison records.

"I was brought up in an orphanage, one of those kids that just got stuck in the cracks. I didn't want to be raised by outsiders, I wanted someone from my own kind. I knew what I was, they were at least kind enough to tell me that." She sighed again, folded her arms around herself. "Then the coup happened. I got lucky, someone got me out of there. I don't know who, the memories are just… a blank, like I blocked them out…"

"What happened next?" Derrick's voice was gentle again.

He'd seen this sort of thing before. He knew that while the girl in front of him put on the exterior of being cold and aloof, there was something deceptively fragile inside of her, something that would break if handled improperly.

"I grew up. Life in a guerilla village wasn't very different form life in the orphanage. The grownups were always busy with something else. They had things to fix, crops to harvest, that sort of thing. Then, once the word got out that the princess had survived and that there was a resistance movement going, they were always planning missions."

"What about the other kids? Weren't there any there?"

"I think I scared them, Prower. I just, sort of, locked myself up inside," Mina said with a shrug. "They just stayed away from me, and for a really long time, that's what I wanted. I've wanted to be among my own kind… or at least live up to their legacy."

"Then why are you trying to fight them now?" The fox's tails thrashed back and forth again as he spoke, and the confusion was evident upon his face.

"Because, I'd like to think that even if I didn't know my parents, that this is what they would want for me to do." She said.

"They would want you to do this, no matter how hard it might be." Derrick's voice had a touch of gruffness back in it. He looked up at the mongoose. His glowing, amber photoceptors seemed to pierce her soul. "Since you've been honest with us, Fett, I suppose it would be appropriate for me to return the favor. I have much more at stake in this matter than you would think." She arched an eyebrow at this, asked the unspoken question. "For the longest time, I thought that I too had lost my family at Malachor, when everything we ever accomplished went straight down the toilet. I just found out recently that that's not the case."

There were several second of silence as Derrick composed himself. Tails saw him twitch, as if he were shivering.

"Apparently, my daughter survived."

"So where is she?" Mina asked.

"I'm not sure. She's one of the Neo Crusader templates."

The yellow furred Mobian stood where she was, rooted to the spot, unable to move or speak. Her eyes were wide, unblinking and her mouth opened part of the way.

"What?"

"Yes, Fate seems to enjoy making a mockery of us." The old artic fox shook his head. "I found out that she was alive, after all this time, only to discover that she was in league with the enemy. And it's going to get worse for me. Eventually, I'll have done my job here and then I'll be back on the front lines. Every shot that I take, there's going to be a one in seven chance that I'm going to be trying to kill Brianna."

Silence filled the room. It was as quiet as the void of space. Slowly, Tails looked back and forth, between his squad mate and his uncle. Two minutes passed, and then, finally, Derrick seemed to snap out of the trance that he had gone into.

"Sorry, you two should probably be getting back to your cots. It's going to be another long day tomorrow." He brought his fingers up and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'll see you again, then."

The two troopers saluted, and then walked out of the office.

As they strode back down the hallway, the young man noticed that Mina kept her eyes fixed squarely upon him. They seemed to be reading him, every detail, from his military issued clothing to the ravaged skin of his arms.

"I can't believe it took me this long to make the connection," She suddenly said.

"What?" he looked over to her, though he did not stop his pace.

"Your name, your scars on your arms, and your other distinguishing feature," she gestured to his namesakes. "You're Tails, aren't you? Sonic's kid brother?"

"Yep." His voice was neutral, and he fought down the pain that threatened to surface. "What about it?"

Mina just continued to stare at him for a few more second, before she licked her lips and finally managed a reply.

"What was it like?"

"What do you mean?" he gave her a look out of the corner of his eye.

"Growing up with him?"

A small smile was at the edge of his face as he thought about it, as the memories crashed over him. "He was the greatest brother a kid could have asked for. Sure, he had an ego," he shrugged his shoulders, "but Aunt Sally was always there to keep him in check when he got too headstrong for his own good. And he had a heart of gold. No matter how busy he was, he'd always try to make room for me, or help me out with my chores if I needed it. He was the guy who taught me how to play soccer and hockey." He laughed, a deep chuckle that he bit off at the last minute to prevent it from turning into a sob. "When… when he died… I didn't know what to do. You always see a hero like that, larger than life, something no natural force could ever bring down."

"Even heroes are mortal." Mina said, her voice soft.

"Yeah. I want to think he'd be proud of me, up there," he gestured, "but I don't guess I can really ask him. Just do me a favor."

"What?"

"Don't tell the rest of the team about this. I'd rather they not think me anything special. I want to fail or succeed on my own merits, not because I happened to grow up the kid brother to one of the greatest heroes to ever grace this world with his footsteps."

"Gotcha." Mina said with a nod.

The rest of the walk back to their bunks was done in silence.

* * *

Jaster frowned as he stared at the report. Another destroyed convoy. Sonic had struck again. His MO was all over the site. Jammed radio transmissions, a complete wipeout and the whole convoy completely blown to hell from the air.

It wasn't the first time, and the Mandalore was certain that it wouldn't be the last. But never before had the ARC trooper ever hit something this big before. More than two hundred Clones had been present at this battle, a dozen APCs and AFVs in addition to the transport craft. Even as good as he was, and with all of his mental abilities to back him up, there was no way that Sonic could have ever made a clean sweep against the sort of thing that big and well guarded.

Conclusion: the cyborg was getting help. But who? And from where? They were monitoring all official channels and keeping a close eye on Royal Army acquisitions. Nothing had been shipped out lately that had not arrived at a base. His help wasn't official, there had been no reference to him in any transmissions that they'd overheard.

Granted, it was possible that they'd missed something. Recent developments requiring DNA testing for all sensitive positions within Mobian military and political installations had made it necessary to withdraw his infiltrators, lest their genetic codes betray their true identities.

"Any new intel?"

The wolf turned around to face his employer. Shadow's face was impassive, but the armor clad warrior could feel the rage that permeated the air around the ARC trooper. Sonic's hit and run attacks could do littler more than annoy the great war machine that they were building up here, they were nothing more than pinpricks to its mighty flanks. But it was enough to seriously anger his brother.

Jaster felt a pang of regret fill his heart. He was failing here. It was not so much the fact that he was failing Shadow, rather than just the failing in general. He did not like coming up short.

"No Sir, aside from the fact that this reveals that he's getting help from another source. Regardless of where he is striking from, the point remains that he's just one soldier. He can't perform these kinds of raids by himself." Jaster finished with a sharp salute and awaited his next instructions.

"Continue with our reconnaissance sweeps, and begin initiating the first plan of our assaults. We're going to need to speed things up, now." With a swish of his cloak, the genetically engineered soldier left the room.

"Send out the codes," the Mandalore said, and a Clone hurried o carry out the task. "Recon only at first, do not fire unless fired upon."

* * *

Those in front of him hurried to get out of his way, as they felt the dark rage ripple through the air. Even with the neural chip ensuring their obedience, the Clones had a sense and a desire for self preservation. They knew that irritating their commander now would not be conducive to that goal.

Finally, the ARC trooper reached his meditation chambers. He sat down inside and slowly let himself breathe in and out, his thoughts focused upon his brother.

Why? That was the question. Why did his sibling insist upon making himself such a nuisance? He had offered his little brother everything. Power. His true power. What he could really accomplish in his life, despite being crippled. He'd offered him a place at his side when his armies finally took over this world and then expanded outwards.

The black hedgehog's thoughts drifted tot heir first meeting, where he'd offered all of that to his blue furred twin. Not only had Sonic spat in his face, he'd openly attacked him. Of course, weak as he was in the use of his abilities, he'd been crushed like a bug, but his sibling had continued to seek him out even after that. He had continued to battle him, four more times. No matter how badly he was beaten, no matter how much he'd shown Sonic what he could do, the younger twin still continued his futile little war against his plans for this world.

It should not have been this way. The two of them should have been united together against the Acorn fools, against those that would have used them…

He felt the rage building inside, the power that screamed for an outlet, a vent, anything. Neurons within his mind fired rapidly, and memories surfaced.

* * *

Chaos raged around the young boy, and fear as he had never before known or even thought possible now filled him. His crimson eyes dilated wide, manifesting that terror, he clutched to the leg of the woman next to him.

He felt furless hands reach down and pick him up. Slowly, they rocked him back and forth, whispered soft words to him. He turned his face into her shoulder, tried to blot out the sights of the fires, the shattered buildings, the dead bodies. He couldn't close his ears to the sounds, though, nor rid his nose of the stench of death, of burning flesh and hair.

The wind rustled over his obsidian quills as the woman began to run. How long did they have? How long before those nightmarish machines came after them? Distant gunfire crackled, followed by an explosion.

He started to cry. He didn't want to die like this.

"Shhh, shhh, it'll be okay, sweetie," the woman said, and she ran her thin hands down his back. Rocked him gently again.

But it wouldn't be okay. It wouldn't be like the nightmares, the ones where he floated helplessly in a tank, with strange figures moving around outside, comments about expected growth and speed projections filtering through to his ears.

"Halt, organic!" the command came.

The woman didn't even pause. She bolted like an animal, ducking into an alleyway even as the beam streaked by her.

"Abnormal DNA structure detected in Mobian target. Target Alpha discovered, all available units, converge on sector sigma-gamma-seven-one!" the electronic voice screeched.

He could feel the woman's heart thunder in her chest, his mind felt her fear. He knew what was coming. He could feel something against his check. Wet, sticky. Blood. His quills had stiffened, and cut the woman. She didn't notice.

A roar from overhead. He looked up. A machine filled the sky, a beam of blinding white light focused upon him and his caretaker.

A scream of surprise. A whining pulse. The air was warm. The scream was cut off. A sense of vertigo, and then the pain of striking hard tarmac.

He shook his head, looked back frantically.

She was on the ground, her blond hair fanned out like a halo. Her eyes were open, unseeing, unblinking. A steaming hole in her chest. Something had fallen from her pocket, an identification chip. It had activated, and now a small hologram hovered an inch above the chip. A picture of her, a smile on her face, thin rimmed, old fashioned glasses on her nose. Two words flashed beneath the image.

Maria. R.

"Apprehend target."

He stared back over his shoulder. The machines were there, that single, hellishly red eye of theirs meeting his own. The fear remained for a moment or two, before something replaced it. Something deeper, more instinctive. Molten rage filled him.

The air hummed, rumbled. Sparks flew and the sound of transparasteel shattering filled the air. The spotlight above went out in a blaze of fire. His gaze fell upon the nearest droid. It began to twitch, and its servos and hull casing groaned in protest. Its chest buckled inwards upon itself half a second later.

As the light in its eye died, his rage found new targets, new focuses. The machines came off of the ground as they screamed alerts and fed data back to whatever central computer oversaw this operation.

The sound of smashing metal and circuitry reached his ears, followed by his foes impacting upon the pavement. He found no solace in that. They would be back. There would be more of them.

The little five year old boy looked down upon the corpse next to him. She was dead. The woman who had cared for him all his life was gone. She didn't just look it, she felt it. A void in the world, a hole in his heart.

A wretched sob that only a toddler could make tore its way out of the boy. He sank to his knees and covered his eyes.

Distant sounds, the wail of sirens. More robots. He had to go, now.

He snatched the chip in front of him, and ran as he'd never run before.

* * *

With a harsh growl and a glare from his white, phosphoric eyes, he buried the memory back in the depths of his sub-consciousness.

He rose form his meditative position and twisted about, his quills flying outwards behind him. He had a war to win, a world to conquer, and an empire to carve out of this region of space.

Musing on the past would not help him do that.

* * *

&

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Okay, hope you all enjoyed that. 

Got a couple of exams coming up next week (Latin and History of Asia, so wish me luck), so it'll probably be around a week from Saturday or so when I update next. Fortunately, the next chapter should be a little longer, and should go faster, as I already know what I'm going to do with it.

As usual, any and all feedback is more than welcomed. Advice, constructive criticism, flames, ideas for weapons and vehicles, or any advice on actual military tactics is more than welcomed (after all, I'm trying to make both sides competent and not suffer from the infamous 'Storm Trooper Effect')

With that in mind, I leave you. Until next time, good luck, and try to stay ahead in the game of life.


	17. Calm

Good day to you all, and I hope that life's been treating you well. Would have had this posted last night, but the bloody site 'had heavier than normal traffic, and couldn't process my request' (glares), despite school's attempts to grind me into powder (seriously, three exams in one week, two of em in Latin…)

At any rate, I sincerely hope that it hasn't impeded my ability to write for this chapter, as I'm once again experimenting with different styles of writing to see if I can find the right combo that best 'fits' me. So don't hold back on any criticisms you see.

As always, my most humble thanks to everyone who has read the story. You are the people that make everything, from writers block to trying to type with numb hands because the Dorm heating has gone out, worth it. Those of you who were kind enough to review, I hope that I answered your questions adequately, and I thank you for your time.

Snowecat- Regrettably, War of the Ancients is on the back burner due to a massive bit of writer's block. I just cannot focus on it and get everything I want out of it right now. I've actually trashed five attempts to write the next chapter, and I think I may have to put it on hold until I can get this one finished. I'm truly sorry, as I feel like I'm letting you and everyone else down. I want to put up a author's note, but I've been told that tends to lead to a story getting deleted. What should I do? Regardless, though, I give you my most solemn promise that, come hell or high-water, once I'm finished with this, I will finish Ancients. I'm not about to abandon something that brought me so much joy.

Lawyers- Bugger off, I own none save for those I've created.

Oh yes, and before I begin, I'd like to share something with you. I stumbled across this little jewel of a music site the other day, and it's proven to be massively helpful in relieving stress and unblocking my thoughts. You can't download them, but you can get a listen to them if you have a music player. Check out the 'themes for orchestra and choir' (I'd recommend Lacrimosa and Fahrenheit as a start.) www .immediatemusic. com /html /bodybrowse.cfm (If you can't get it to work, just check out youtube, the site's swarming with clips to their stuff)

* * *

&

* * *

Calm

He motioned with his hand, a sharp, cutting gesture. The girl to his left nodded and stepped forward into the shrubs. He watched her from behind, his rifle held at the ready. They were out here somewhere. The enemy squadron. How many was unknown, but they were here somewhere. He could feel it in his bones.

He switched to thermal and the world became awash in different colors. Reds, greens, blues, violets and whites. All acute and in high resolution. Nothing. No bright spikes, outlines, signatures, or anything.

His eyes narrowed to a glare. Somewhere… somewhere.

A tapping, off to the left. His gaze snapped over to it. Up against the tree, his comrade's fingers drummed against the repeater in his hands. He made a fist. The private stopped.

He gazed to his motion sensor, made sure it was adjusted correctly. Too sensitive, and it would pick up ants moving along the ground.

Still nothing.

Did he dare to break radio silence? He braced himself back against the tree he was next to. A sweat built up in his fur, a drop of it trickled down his brow. A glance to his HUD. All suits were functioning normally. All vitals were in the clear, save for some anxiety build up.

He took the chance, he had to know.

"Sitrep, all squads." His hands tensed around his rifle. His fingered caressed the trigger.

"Beta Sqaud has nothing."

"Zero contact." The gamma squad leader said.

"Delta?"

He waited a few seconds. No reply came. He opened the channel again. "Delta, sitrep, now!"

Nothing.

"Everyone—"he started.

"Heads up!"

He twisted towards the sound of the voice. Fifty meters distant, he saw the spread out formation of the other teams. They had fallen prone and hunkered back against the trees. One of them went down as a figure popped up from behind a rock and got off a snap shot. The figure was gone a moment later, hidden from sight by his cover.

An object, dark against the vibrant colors of his thermal vision, fell to the ground in front of the squad.

"Grenade!" someone screamed.

All but one dove away. One soldier leapt forward on top of the weapon. It detonated a moment later. But he pushed aside what he knew he would see. His rifle was up against his shoulder as he directed it towards where the hostile was hiding.

"Suppress him!" he shouted over his mike. "Gamma, move up behind us, keep the right flank covered!"

The other squad hastily moved into position and set up.

"Omega, get the M-K up and running, ready to put fire down on that position" he gestured towards the rock.

A couple of yes sirs echoed over his helmet speaker. He saw something move, and fired off a burst. He caught his opponent on the shoulder, and the man ducked back down. He still kept the weapon trained on his position. He knew enough about Neos to know that the guy was probably still alive.

"Hard Contact, bearing three-one-one!"

Automatic weapons fire echoed from the other side of the formation, as Gamma Squad encountered the expected flanking maneuver. "Three enemy contacts. Two rifles, one grenadier!"

The squad shifted a small bit. They became more fluid, spread out so grenade attacks couldn't get the all.

Two grenades went up from Beta Team. The orb shaped devices clanked off the rocky cliff that the original assailant was behind. Half a second later, though, they were back up in the air. His visor flashed as they went of, and ten meters of forest disappeared. This was followed by the Mandalorian popping back up and laying down a barrage of gunfire. Men and women scrambled as their cover disappeared before the onslaught of his weapon. One didn't move fast enough and went down when multiple rounds struck him across his back.

"Look out!"

He didn't think. He threw himself forward, hit shoulder first, rolled over and came up with his Lancer pointed towards the way they'd come. Two more hostiles appeared from behind cover and began to try to cut into his forces. One aimed his heavy repeater towards him. His breath caught in his throat as he went prone and opened up. A seven shot burst of fire left his gun and caught the man in the chest. An arcing pattern that crossed down to the left appeared, flashes of heat that stood out starkly. His foe fell and rolled away behind a rock.

A veritable storm of blaster fire filled the air a moment later as the rest of his squad turned their attention to the more immediate threat. The enemy trooper dashed out from behind the trees, as they could not last long against the amount of energy that was being directed at them.

He risked a glance over his shoulder. Chatter from Beta Squad indicated that the assailant they faced was dug in like a tick. Men and women went scrambling as a stinger missile took to the air. A trooper with a light repeater aimed his weapon up as he furiously backpedaled.

Two bolts nearly struck the offending Mandalorian. The rock that he was taking cover behind heated to a vibrant orange and razor sharp chunks went flying.

"Team three, moving to flank," a soldier said.

They raced between the trees, bent nearly double. The six man team, though, was destined for trouble. The Neo Crusader must have spotted the movement on a motion tracker. A buster rocket impacted against the forest floor. Two comlinks crackled into static and their vitals went flat.

He tried to raise command, see if they could direct some assistance, but all he got was white noise. They were being jammed. The two radio men were already on it, trying to burn through the jamming and get linked back up with their superiors.

For now, though, they were on there own.

"Thermal out!" someone yelled.

Gamma team was throwing a disgustingly large amount of firepower down at their targets. Standard procedure, suppress and flank, take away their cover why keeping the air too full of raw energy for them to risk moving around or trying to fight back. Problem was that the Mandos were doing the exact same thing. The one with the M-249 popped out for a second, and torrents worth of fire filled the air.

Two soldiers went down as their cover was vaporized and two score rounds hit them and their surroundings. Steam rose from the ground and nearby temperature gauges spiked to levels that would have cooked the lungs of any unarmored individuals nearby.

Soldiers scrambled out of the way as trees began to fall, crashing to the ground with a thunderous racket. It added to the chaos that already reigned.

"Focus, fire for effect."

"Grenades!"

"Thomson's down, vitals are critical!"

"Medic!"

"Kalzone here, Beta team's target has been neutralized, redirecting fire towards Gamma. Keep your heads down."

The M-K crew reoriented their heavy weapon, placed it up upon the rock that they'd been hiding behind. Energy spewed from the weapon, and the air around the two soldiers grew hot as they put pressure upon their foes.

The platoon leader glanced out of the corner of his eye. The area where the original hostile had struck from was a mess of burning woods and slagged granite. Beta Team, though, lay on the dirt. Nine signals flashed above the fallen soldiers as his HUD picked up their vitals. Two were down, but not out. The rest…

He focused his attention back upon the remaining five soldiers.

They were up and bolting, the last remnants of their cover erased by the M-K crew. They were throwing down their own fire as they retreated towards higher ground to keep the Mobian soldiers from trying to follow them or take advantage of their vulnerability. Most of them succeeded. The grenadier didn't.

Kalzone caught him dead in his sights as he ran backwards. The tripod mounted gun bucked as it filled the air with energy bolts. The soldier's aim was true. The Crusader's armor, powerful though it was, proved to be no match for the might of the M-K's firepower.

A loud boom filled the air, and the forest erupted into flames. Another stinger came down from the heavens and struck the ground like a thunderbolt. A twenty meter wide explosion forced the Mobians' computerized visor to polarize. Four more people went down.

The platoon was down to almost half strength, their foes to two thirds.

Then the fire ceased, and the woods became silent, save for the groans of those who were not quite dead yet, and the crackling fires. It had rained recently, and the smoke from the blazes was beginning to fill the air. The platoon leader growled softly as he flipped through his vision modes. Normal was useless, night vision crazy, and thermal shot to hell.

"Switch to holographic, and pray they can't jam it up," he told the remaining soldiers.

Their HUDs reset as rangefinders and internal sensors reached out and got a detailed look at the region around them. Several seconds later, it began to put together a workable version of the world.

"Orders?" a squad mate asked him.

"We have to go after them, we can't let them get away or they'll just hit us again." His voice was weary, filled with self doubt. "Any luck on the radios?"

"Nothing yet, sir. I'm still picking up white noise." The first one said.

"Same on my end, boss." The second one made a clenching motion with his fist, as if he desired to wrap it around something and strangle the life from it.

"Keep working on it. Medics, stay here and help those you can. If we need you, we'll call. Kalzone, pick up that M-K and get it mobile, we'll need the firepower." He looked around, continued to assess his force. "Everyone else, we'll take point. We're still at one hundred percent. Seven meter spread, if you see anything that even vaguely resembles a hostile, I want you to slot it."

Affirmatives rang out, and they began to move.

The machine gun crew had just finished packing their weapon up when a bolt struck Kalzone's assistant straight in the head. He fell backwards as his vitals flat lined.

"Take cover!" the platoon leader shouted, even as a rocket came in and exploded against the heavy repeater, consuming it and the remaining crewman.

"Shot came from the north-east. Go prone and scan." Gamma leader radioed in.

The platoon leader snarled to himself. This group of Neos were clever sons of Overlanders. Set the forest ablaze to cover their retreat and mess up their enemies' vision just long enough for them to skirt around the viewing range of their holographic modes, and then come back in for another stab at them.

"Regroup, and fall back, I want AM-50 fire on that region now. Everyone else, keep your eyes open. We're moving in deeper, and clearing out of this crap. Now shake it!" Confidence filled his voice again.

Once clear of the flames and smoke they could return to normal vision, and their sight wouldn't be limited. Their foes' advantages would be removed, and they'd hopefully have a new set of obstacles to use for cover.

The surviving platoon members threw down fire as they retreated towards the west. They tried to ignore the bodies of the fallen they were abandoning to the flames. They'd come back for them if they could.

Movement to the left, a twitch in the corner of his peripheral vision.

He screamed out a warning, dove and opened up all in the same motion. Bolts struck the man, made his armor glow, but it didn't drop him.

A crack filled the air, followed by a grenade zipping by at mach one. It hit the stunned Neo Crusader dead on. The contact tip caved in, struck the primer, and ignited the explosive.

The fireball was almost blinding, and shook the ground. A grim smile came over the platoon leader's face. There was no way that the Mandalorian had survived a direct hit, even their neosteel armor couldn't protect them from that. Three down, three to go.

There was a rocky ledge fifty meters to the south. A barked order and a series of hand gestures, and the squad was headed there. Their movements were swift, but cautious. At any moment, their foes might reveal themselves again.

Halfway there, the enemy struck again. Gamma Squad spotted them, coming up from the left flank. The Mobian soldiers' instincts kicked in, and targeting priorities came up. The Clone with the M-249 was the one they had to kill. Jurkadir's were dangerous, but Escelions were something else entirely.

The genetically engineered soldiers laid down a barrage of bolter and rocket fire as they drew closer, their power armor enabling them to shoot accurately even while they were running. Three more dropped as small arms fire overwhelmed their armor, and superheated firestorms appeared where they had stood.

But this time their foes were prepared, and it would not be enough.

Six streams of Lancer fire found the one carrying the repeater. He dropped to the ground, his accursed weapon finally going silent.

One rifleman popped out for a snapshot, but was then knocked off of his feet as a sniper round smashed into his helmet. The group would never know if that one shot had been enough to kill him, though. The three grenades that were lobbed into his position would make sure of that.

The final soldier was dug in behind a boulder, but even that would not protect him. Determined that they should lose no more of their comrades, the platoon opened up with everything it had.

The Neo was good, he took to the air in an attempt to flee and withdraw the moment he realized that his cover was about to disappear, but it availed him little. He might have been able to move at almost a hundred and eighty kilometers per hour at full flight, but against as much fire that was filling the air, the law of averages ensured his doom.

He fell to the ground and rolled some distance before he came to a stop, his armor a smoking, blackened ruin.

The platoon leader breathed a sigh of relief, and gazed as hit ammo counter. Nearly empty, time to reload. The ejected magazine hit the ground with a soft thump, and a fresh one was loaded.

There was a crunching noise and the whole formation snapped their weapons towards it.

From out of the burning woods, they see their first attacker calmly walking towards them.

"Terminate simulation." He said.

The destroyed trees faded, the half slagged rocks disappeared into nothingness. In its place now stood a cold and industrial looking room. It was massive, more than half a square kilometer in size, and its edges, ceiling, and floors lined with hundreds upon hundreds of holographic interface emitters. The drill was over.

He sighed and took his helmet off, revealing in the feeling of breathing in unfiltered air. The smile on his face, though, faded when he saw the black armor and the swishing kama.

It had caught him by surprise, to realize that Derrick had led the practice assault himself. When did he get the time for that? He felt flash of nausea through his gut as he thought about what must have been going through his uncle's head. The attack had come so fast, so suddenly, like a thunderbolt. Why hadn't Delta Squad reported in? Why hadn't the rear guard…

"Sergeant, what are the casualties? Derrick said, his voice neutral, stoic.

One of the other 'Mandalorians' walked up, his laser training rifle balanced up against his shoulder.

"We're looking at about twenty eight killed in action, and another seven wounded." He paused, and Tails could hear the frown in his voice. "Judging by the way Neo Crusader weapons work, I'd saying they're missing arms and-or legs right now."

The young man saw the gauntlet clad fists clench, thought he could hear the servos whirring and Derrick visibly shook. He braced himself. This would not end well.

The artic fox turned around and stormed over towards where two other soldiers were, conversing with each other. Tails recognized their rear guard. The two jackals turned to face him, and started to snap to attention. They never got the chance. Derrick reached out and snapped his hands around their throats, before lifting them a full foot and a half off of the ground.

"What in the Nine Hells is wrong with you two?" He shouted. The two young men clapped their hands around his iron hard grip, but could do nothing except stare down into the terrifying, emotionless mask in front of them. He gave them a shake. "I asked you two di'kuts a question, now answer me!"

"Si-i-r?" one of them stuttered.

"Do I have to spell it out for you, fool? What the hell happened back there?" He started to shake with rage, his mechanized body humming slightly. "You let Sergeant Bolo and I completely blindside you. You weren't paying attention, and you got dropped without so much as a peep or a warning. Now there are at least twenty eight people dead, because you fierfeked up! Twenty eight men and women as dead as if you'd taken your Lancer, put it to their skulls and pulled the trigger."

"Sorry, Sir," one of them gasped.

"Sorry? You're sorry? Let me tell you something, soldier. Do you know what happens to Mandos who screw up that badly?"

The two jackals remained silent, shivering in the air, their metal shod boots clacking and they smacked against one another. Tails gazed on, his emotions a whirl of fear, awe, and pity. Never, never before in his life, had he seen his uncle so enraged. It seemed so out of place. As a soldier, a Death Watchman, he'd always seemed so professional, so detached.

This was something else.

"Among my people, assuming that you hadn't already committed suicide out of shame and guilt for what had happened, we'd have used you for target practice. Among Mandalorians, incompetence on that scale warrants capital punishment." His voice was calmer now, once more devoid of emotion. A shiver went down Tails' spine.

He tossed the two men to the ground and then looked around to the rest of the soldiers, who watched, wide eyed at this demon that had emerged from their instructor.

"Has anyone here ever heard of the Battle of Benion Pass?" he asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Never heard of a battle," Carmine said, his voice shaky. "Heard of a massacre though."

"Correct, Private," Derrick nodded his head. "It was a massacre for the Royal Army. Four hundred soldiers were lost, and a key position fell into enemy hands. You know why?" he waited a beat, and then answered. "It's because a Mobian soldier fell asleep on guard duty… and my people found him before his friends did."

The air seemed to grow colder as the black armored soldier spoke. "That is the consequences of a real battle, soldiers. Your first mistake, your first screw up, and you're dead… and there's no telling how many people you might bring down with you. That is why we practice here. Because, here, if you get killed, you don't stay dead. Reality, though… she's a little bit harsher."

Derrick looked over to the rest of the soldiers, and they gazed among each other nervously.

"Beta Team, nice job trying to flank me, but when you realize that the enemy is dug in like that, do not be afraid to pull out heavier equipment." He crossed his arms again. "Neo Crusaders carry almost half a dozen weapons on themselves, many of them capable of wiping out entire fire teams in one go if they aren't watching their spacing. Do not ever give them the chance to use those."

The soldiers there nodded as the old artic fox turned his attention towards Gamma.

"You boys and girls also did pretty well, considering how fast and hard you got hit. Nice job on the self assumed regroup and the suppressive fire and flank tactic. Again, though, use your grenades more often. You're packing seven of them for a reason.

"Alpha, focus your fire a little more in future engagements with the enemy. Prower," Tails' eye leapt up to meet the black visor. "Nice work with keeping everything organized when it hit the fan. And congratulations on realizing a tactic the enemy is likely to employ often, distract and destroy. Everyone had better get used to seeing that, understood?"

"Sir, yes Sir!" they shouted in unison.

"Everyone but these two is dismissed to go grab some chow, a shower, and some sleep," he pointed to the two jackals. "You two have demerits for your foolishness. And let me tell you, if I ever, ever, see anything resembling a repeat of today, the two of you are going to take a long hike off of this base. I will not tolerate morons in this army."

* * *

Tails sighed as he made his way out of the building with the rest of his soldiers. More than anything at that moment, he wanted to take his head and slam it repeatedly into a solid object. How many ways could he have improved that run? He understood that Neo Crusaders would have him and his squad out gunned and out armored, and that on an individual level they were significantly superior soldiers, but that was no excuse for what he'd allowed to happen.

Derrick's praise for what he had done right meant little. His mind focused upon the negative, the things that had gone wrong, and the things that he would do again differently if the situation ever arose again.

The war was coming, sooner or later. The Neo Crusaders had to be almost ready.

Command had tried everything these past few weeks to locate them, but neither satellites, nor aerial reconnaissance had been able to find their bases. They were like an army of vengeful ghosts. Hidden from sight until they decided to strike. Then they would hit with a fury and a savagery not seen or heard of in centuries.

He had to be ready, he had to get the others ready, or that simulation would occur in real life.

Dinner for them proved to be a rather sullen affair. Their shoulders were hunched, their backs bent and slouched under the weight of what they felt was a failure.

"Well, we may get the osick beat out of us in our exercises and simulations, but at least they feed us good." Carmine said, his cheerful self trying to find a silver lining to the situation.

"True," Tails nodded his head in agreement as he stared down at his tray.

In an attempt to get the troops ready for hauling around all their gear, and the distinct possibility that someone, somewhere, at some point in time, might have to slug it out with a Clone, a massive infusion of protein had been thrown into the usual diet, supplemented by vitamin injects. The results were undeniable. Everyone had started to gain muscle definition. Still, as he bit into his steak, he thought the cooks needed to learn a few things about not overdoing the meat.

"Let's focus on what happened today," he said to his team. "Think about what you did, step by step, and how you could have done it differently. Hindsight's twenty twenty, so let's put our head's together and start thinking."

Everyone, even Carmine, fell silent. Some furrowed their brows, others picked idly at their trays. They ran back over the mission in slow motion, each bit of it flashed through their minds like a slide show. One by one, a soldier would nod their head and a grim smile would appear. Someone would snap a finger, while another would press a claw to their temple.

They were learning quickly, his comrades, the two tailed fox thought to himself. For the first time since the exercise began, a sense of confidence filled him. They would not make the same mistakes again. Understanding would become instinct, instinct would become reflex.

Uncle Derrick would have to get craftier if he wanted to catch them off guard like that again. The fox's eyes took on a feral gleam and his flexed his scared arms, stared down at the furless flesh, at the power that was growing inside of him.

In the end, they had only one enemy, and that was time. Still, he thought, there was something that might be able to help in that respect.

He rose from his seat and headed out.

"Hey, man, where're you going?" Carmine asked.

"The Library, I've got to brush up on my history."

* * *

That enemy known as time would strike four days later. A sergeant pulled Tails aside as he once again left the training area.

"Colonel Alexis wants to have a word with you, trooper." The woman said, and gestured for him to follow.

He nodded silently and motioned for the rest of the platoon to go ahead without him. Then he fell into line and marched towards the command building three klicks away.

When he arrived, he found the Colonel there, as well as Derrick, a Lieutenant, and two other enlisted men. They were looking at a holomap of a mountainous forest that was on the Colonel's desk, talking in hushed tones.

The young man took a few steps forward and snapped to attention. The group looked up, and Alexis nodded.

"Glad that you could join us, Private," the badger said and motioned him over. "Take a look at this region, son. You recognize it?"

"The Sierra mountain range, about two hundred and fifty clicks north by northwest of here. What's going on, Sir?" There was something tense in the atmosphere, it was making him uneasy.

"We've used this place for training runs since before the Great War, Private, and we've begun using it again now. We've got so many people we're trying to get out in the field that our holo decks just aren't enough." Alexis' face was grave, almost ashen, and the young man felt a cold sweat start to form on the back of his neck. He knew where this was headed.

"How many patrols have we lost?" he asked, his mouth suddenly dry.

"One training patrol, just one, thank the Goddess. The problem is that we don't know how they died, or what happened. We lost radio contact, and that was it. We've reconned the area from both the air and space, but we've got nothing. Mobotropolis command wants a boots on the ground operation."

"We're sending in three platoons to see what's going on, under the command of Lieutenant Edmund here," he gestured to the black feline, who shifted nervously. "Your platoon has begun to do exceptionally well during the past few runs, and so we figured that you'd make a nice addition. You're being promoted to lance corporal and you'll be moving out with the rest."

"Sir, with respect, my platoon's completely green, we haven't even graduated yet." He shook his head, this was crazy.

Alexis' face broke into a frown, and the man sighed heavily before he walked over towards his office's window. Recruits were still performing drills and running around the parade ground doing exercises with training rifles.

"Son, I hate to break it to you, but ninety nine percent of the army is green. I don't think anyone really understands how many soldiers died tried to stop Julian's coup, or in the war that followed." He kept his back to them, folded his hands and lowered his head. "When the war was over, nobody really thought about getting a military back up, save for a police force, there was so much else that we had to do… The few trained units we do have are helping to train the rookies."

Tails remained silent, resisted the urge to sigh, and then looked upon the map again. There was a green flowing portion upon it that indicated where they would be landing, while a red zone, approximately two kilometers away marked the last known position of the training patrols.

"Where does my platoon come in?" he asked.

Alexis turned back to face him. "You'll be covering the right flank as Edmund and the others press forward. The task is simple, get in there, find out what happened, engage and destroy any hostiles that may remain, and get back out, preferably without dying."

"Support?" one of the other sergeants asked.

"Air support will be available in the form of your LAAT gunships. Make good use of them." Derrick said.

"Anything else?" Tails brought his gaze up, looked into his uncle's helmet.

"No. The ground's too unstable for tanks or light support ground vehicles, and it's too far away for long range artillery support."

"Estimated enemy forces?"

"Unknown," the Mandalorian shook his head, "but we don't think it to be that many, and it's quite likely they've pulled out by now. Still, stay frosty, Corporal. You and your platoon deploy in three hours."

The newly promoted soldier nodded, saluted, and then went to inform the rest of the unit.

As he left the Colonel's office, one thought dominated his mind. A cold chill in the back of his brain.

The calm was over. The storm was here.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, hope you all enjoyed that, and that my writing hasn't suffered any. 

As usual, all feedback is greatly appreciated, advice, constructive criticism, flames, ideas for weapons, etc. etc. you get the idea.

Once again, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope to catch you again next time. In the meanwhile, have yourself a great day.


	18. Tempest

Hello once again everyone, and I hope the world has been treating you very nicely. As for myself, well, let's just say that school's left me feeling like Edmund Blackadder: "I have a degree from the University of Life, a Diploma from the School of Hard Knocks, and three gold stars from the Kindergarten of getting the crap kicked out of me."

College has been rough, and most of my Easter will consist of me rummaging up essays and research papers. I'm almost looking forward to starting my summer classes. At least then there won't be quite so much writing homework, and I might be able to focus on this a little more.

At any rate, once again I thank everyone who has read this story from the bottom of my heart, and I hope that this chapter has lived up to its predecessors. For those of you who reviewed, check your PM boxes, as hotmail was acting screwy again. I sincerely hope I replied as you'd hoped.

Lawyers- You know the drill by now. Read the previous chapters for a more detailed legal statement.

* * *

&

* * *

Tempest

The room was quiet, no words were spoken. Fifty people mulled about. Their nervousness could been seen in the twitches of their hands, the tense paces of their feet. Some were writing letters, final messages to loved ones in the event that they should not return. Others muttered soft prayers, or simply walked around to try and get rid of the tension that they felt.

Tails was not among them.

The young man sat on his bunk, a small table pulled over in front of him. A pile of holo books and a couple of PDAs lay in front of him. Hasty scribbles and diagrams filled the screens of the two devices. He was still writing furiously, one finger tracing its way down the pale blue text of the book he was staring at the, the other one frantically writing stuff down and underlining certain phrases.

A shadow fell over him, and he looked up. Carmine was there. The raccoon's tail lashed back and forth as he reached down and picked up one of the books. He stared at the cover.

"Great Battles of Mobius." His voice was cracking slightly. "Dare I ask?"

"Checked these out a few days ago, and I've been looking over all of the major scraps. Trying to figure out what went wrong, who screwed up, and how they might have done it differently," the two tailed fox said as he wrote down another sentence and underlined the word 'overconfident.'

"Hindsight, eh?" the other soldier cocked his head.

"Yeah, pretty much." He nodded. "I'm trying to focus on the stuff the Mandalorians have been involved with, but I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make. We're not fighting the 'old' Mandos here."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you know your history?" Tails' cocked an eyebrow as he looked up.

"Only what they taught me at public schools, and that wasn't a whole lot. They mostly focused on the 'vanquishing' of the 'vile, mercenary scum.'" Dissatisfaction covered his voice, and his eyes narrowed to a glare. He glanced sideways, his attention upon the industrial metal walls.

"That 'vanquishing' happened for two reasons," Tails said, as he finally put his writing stylus down. "The first, was that the Mandos got caught by surprise, since they were out there with their families. A lot of them got killed by the opening artillery barrages. That leads us to point two: lack of support. The Mandalorians were a fast strike group, like shock troopers. They'd go in, hit hard, and overwhelm the enemy before they could react to it. They didn't have indigenous armor or air support. Even without those things, they still caused five to one casualties among General D'Coolette's army."

"Oh, crap." Carmine shook his head and sat down on the other end of the bunk.

"Yeah, these ones don't have those problems." Tails' voice was deadly serious as he picked his stuff back up. "So stay on your toes tonight."

"I will… I don't want to die…"

The raccoon rose from his seat and ambled about for a moment. His wanderings took him over to Mina. The girl was by herself, seemingly lost in thought. There was a nervous flex to her hand, though, something that the soldier couldn't recall having seen before.

"Anxious?" He asked.

The girl snapped her head around, her turquoise eyes narrowing for a moment as they focused upon him. Carmine held his ground, met the icy glare. Finally, Mina relented.

"I don't want to fail." Was all that she said.

Carmine's response was a snort, and it earned him a second glare.

"Look, Mina," his face broke into a smirk, "if anyone's coming back from this, it's going to be either you or fearless leader over there." He jerked his thumb towards Tails. "I don't see why you, of all people, are so worried."

"I've waited my whole life for a moment like this, for a chance to prove myself. I don't want to screw it up." Her voice was quite, and for the first time since he'd met her, the cold, calculating confidence was gone from it.

He chuckled slightly and shook his head, before staring up at the ceiling. He opened his mouth, but whatever he had been about to say was cut off by the sound of a door hissing open.

One of the sergeants stood in the doorway. The look in her eyes told all that it was time. PDAs were put down, personal objects of significance adorned, and the troops slowly marched out of the room.

Tails was reminded of a funereal procession.

* * *

"Okay, one last time, we're going to be on the right flank of the patrol. I want Beta Squad on the left, Gamma on the right. Delta, you've got the rear, and we'll take point." He looked over the men and women under his command, and then swallowed hard. "Any last minute questions?"

"Anyone on good terms with higher powers?"

"Any relevant questions, Carmine."

Silence met his query. He let his eyes go over their faces, tried to memorize every detail. Color of the eyes, any scars or unique fur colorations. Were they nervous, were they confident?

Their helmets went on a moment later. Every face, every soul, hidden behind a factory made metal mask. Three by three, they boarded the LAAT. As they did, the young corporal looked into the two blue dots set into the visor, the faint glow of the optical sensors for the helmets.

Everyone looked the same. All anonymous, faceless.

He felt suddenly felt a pang of fear. Hidden beneath this, there was nothing unique about them. There was no story to tell, no hopes or fears to be seen in the eyes of the soldiers. He felt like a statistic… he felt disposable.

As the ship rose into the air, he looked down at the shrinking ground, took one last, long look over the base that had been his home for the past two and a half months. It wasn't home. His father wasn't here, neither was his mother, or Sally or Bunnie.

There was still a sense of family, though. His platoon had become them. They were brothers, sisters, cousins, friends. And he was now the father of them all.

Derrick's words echoed in his head, over and over. How many tonight? How many would not come back?

Movement.

Instincts beaten into him by weeks of hellish training caused him to snap his rifle towards the top of a building.

Nothing.

He switched his visor mode to heat vision. Again, nothing out of the ordinary.

He suddenly became aware of the rest of the squad staring at him, and he cursed himself. He must have looked like a jittery fool, waving his gun around at phantoms and shadows.

Still, for a second he could have sworn he'd seen something. A blurred distortion, like a heat wave.

The inside of his armor was a comfortable eighty degrees, but he suddenly felt a chill like nothing else. Fear tingled in his spine, a sense of panic.

A flash, a building engulfed in flames. Screams, men and women dying. A girl's cry echoed, loud and shrill.

The Angel of Death stood there, staring at him.

"You alright?" He felt a hand on his shoulder, and the vision vanished.

Tails looked over his shoulder. A solder was next to him. HUD readings said it was Joshua, and it was indeed his voice that had come from the external speakers.

"Yeah, just… just a bad memory." The platoon commander flexed his hand, stared down at the covered palm, and the scarred, furless flesh that lay just beneath the surface.

* * *

The humming pulse of the LAAT's engines was as it droned its way towards its target was a steady, almost comforting noise. It reminded the troops that they would not be alone for this battle.

The felt the craft start to decelerate and everyone snapped to their feet. The trip had been fast, only fifteen minutes to go the full distance of two hundred and fifty kilometers. Weapons were double checked, grenades secured.

Tails heard quiet mutterings, saw a few sign out holy symbols in the air.

Carmine laid a hand on Mina's shoulder, clapped it a couple of times, and moved over towards the bay door. The fox couldn't see the girl's face, but he could feel her staring at the raccoon's back. There was something about her stance, though, that seemed different. Surprise, maybe?

"Approaching LZ, moving to hover. Touchdown in fifteen, you guys ready to rock?" the pilot's voice crackled over the command channel.

"As ready as we'll ever be," he said.

The fear welled up again. He formed it into a ball, jammed it deep into his gut. Willing it to stay there, he motioned Mina over to the edge. Her rifle was up and scanning as the doors opened. For several seconds, the high powered scope swept back and forth over the forest.

"No movement or heat signatures on port side." Her voice was cold, emotionless, like a machine.

"Starboard side reading the same."

"LAAT sensors as well. Drop-zone's clear, boys and girls." The pilot's voice had an edge to it, and Tails' wondered if the rumors were true, that the air arm of the Royal Army were a bunch of adrenaline junkies.

"Go, go, seven meter spread, go!" He shouted as he leapt off of the ship.

His boots hit the ground. He felt himself sink a half inch, felt the grass and the first of the fall leaves crunch under the weight of his boots and gear. The image burned itself into him, the trees, how they blew in the wind, the roar of the engines behind him, thankfully muffled by the audio sensors of his helmet. Above him the stars glittered and twinkled. The pale, crater pocked orb of the moon seemed to glare down at him balefully.

Then the moment was over. He was hunched down at the waist and rushing forward towards the deeper portions of the forest. Behind him came the rest of Alpha squad, and Beta.

They moved forward, and spread out. Behind them, the gunship lifted back up in to the sky, where it came to a stop about on hundred feet above their heads.

"Those things are making an awful lot of racket," he heard Mina grumble.

"I know, but I've got a bad feeling we're going to need the firepower." Tails said. "Besides, if anyone's got reason to worry, it's me. You know how Mandos love to rip apart the chain of command."

He went silent after that. They all did. Then they began to advance. Slowly, one foot in front of the other. Weapons to the shoulder, their vision alternating. One of them would use light amplification, the soldier nearest to him, thermal.

They were alert, tense, ready to react to the slightest thing that seemed out of place.

* * *

Thirty minutes had passed since they'd dropped in. The forest had been combed, and now there was just one final sector left to sweep.

"I don't get it," Joshua whispered over the radio. "We know they got our guys here… but where's the evidence? No downed trees, no melted rocks, no glass craters. Nothing."

"I dunno, but I don't like it," Tails said. "Nobody slack off. Home stretch is always the most dangerous part of the run."

The young man kept his eyes roaming over the woods. It was quiet. No woodland creatures scattered before them, or fled the sound of their air cover. There was something going on here. Something more than what met his eyes. His muscles tingled, his breathing picked up. His ears swiveled inside of his helmet.

He took another step forward, and then another. He could feel it, eyes upon him, watching him. Fear like he'd felt when Norrack had blasted his way into his life. The fear of being hunted, like a feral wolf and a sheep. His hackles raised, his eyes narrowed to a glare.

His gaze fell on the cooler shadows. The wolves were circling. But where were they? He glanced down to his Lancer. A small, grim comfort filled him.

The wolves would find that this particular sheep had fangs.

He suddenly pitched forward, his knee slamming into the ground. There was a crunch, a crackling noise that confused him for a second. It sounded almost like a window breaking… but then.

He looked down at the ground. A gasp left his throat. The front part of his knee was inside of it, had gone completely through the dirt and grass. It was an illusion.

The corporal's left hand dove down beneath the holographic barrier, and horror welled up, as he recognized the unmistakable feeling of cracked glass.

There had been a battle here, they were standing in the middle of a war zone.

"Kappa maneuver!" he shouted and opened up a simultaneous communications channel with both command and Lieutenant Edmund. "HQ, Foxtrot here, evidence of battle confirmed. Suspect a nearby holographic transmitter is covering it all up."

"You sure, Coporal?" Edmund asked.

"Just stumbled into a glass crater, Sir."

"Roger that, team, hold steady and…" the rest of the transmission dissolved into burst of white noise.

There was a half second of confusion among the three platoons. Then, Tails felt his adrenaline spike as his training kicked in and realization struck him.

"Oh shi-" He threw himself forward.

The illusionary tranquility of the night was shattered as two small suns formed at the company's perimeter. The pilots above the Tango and Whisky platoons saw the attack, tried to evade, and failed. Their ships exploded into pyrotechnic displays as one hundred and fifty millimeter warheads penetrated their armored hulls and detonated.

From the front and rear of the Mobian soldiers, streams of blue fire appeared, slashing through the ranks.

Men and women dove left and right, took cover behind rocks and trees only to discover, in their dying moments, that the false trees and holographic rocks offered them no protection.

"Stay mobile!" Tails screamed into his mike. He leveled his rifle at the nearest flash of light and went to fire a burst.

He was knocked to the ground by a shockwave a moment later. Night was day, and he looked up over his shoulder to see the remnants of their gunship come crashing down. The pilot popped his canopy open, and leapt ten feet to the ground.

Shrapnel flew as more flashes of blue death struck the hull of the aircraft.

The pilot rolled around, put the hull of his destroyed craft between him and the enemy.

A barrage of white hot energy bolts from Tails' platoon impacted upon where the fire had been coming from. No reply met their volley, but a couple of seconds later, another stream of Neo Crusader weapons fire struck in among them.

The other platoons weren't doing any better. The radio chatter indicated pure chaos.

"Thermal's not working, I can't see a damn thing."

"Where the hell are they?"

"Enemy force numbers, can anyone confirm?"

"The El-Tee's down, repeat, Edmund's been wasted!"

"Thermal's no good, switch to night vision, look for movement!" the corporal ordered his squad.

His own world faded to green and black. His mind seemed to slow everything down to where he could take it all in at once. He'd lost four people already, another two wounded and with their armor basically useless, the NBC protection compromised and the plates slagged.

Other reports came in as the platoon laid down fire in the general direction of where they thought the enemy was hiding.

"F and M, F and M! Fire and maneuver, get up there and flank them." He surprised himself with how calm his voice was.

He ducked as more of the blue energy came, this time directly south of their position.

"There must be a whole freaking regiment of these guys! Where the hell were they hiding?" The soldier's voice was shaky, filled with fear at the thought of having to face down an enemy that might outnumber them by as many as three to one.

Tails saw him go down. One of the bolts struck him in the chest, followed swiftly by a second. The grey plates of his armor heated, glowed like a star, and melted. The man never screamed. Screaming required air, which required lungs. His were burned away to ash in milliseconds. The young fox could only imagine what sort of agony filled horror his last moments must have been.

Seven meters to his right, he saw Carmine lob a grenade into the forest. There was a bright flash and a ball of fire as the explosives detonated. Flames licked at the plant life of the woods. So, there were still some areas that had been untouched by the prior firefight.

The unconscious part of Tails' mind logged that bit of info away for later retrieval, in case he should have to recover it.

A crater erupted in front of him, molten glass and super heated earth splattering harmlessly against his suit. He went flat and rolled to the right.

Where had that shot come from? He'd never even seen that.

Another burst of blue, this time from the east. Another trooper went down, a scream tearing itself from her lungs as the remnants of his right arm went flying. One of the medics was on her in an instant, trying to stop the flow of blood and calm her before she went into shock.

Another flash, a banshee like wail. A buster rocket came in. It hit about fifteen meters away from him, and once again the young man found himself knocked to the ground by the pressure wave that the blast created. Then something new happened. He felt the air rush across him, back towards the steadily rising mushroom cloud. His gaze fell on a member of Beta Squad, who'd been closer to the blast than he had. His eyes widened as he saw blood come flying out of the filters on the helmet, along with clods of what looked like dirt, but he knew wasn't.

It was bits of the man's lungs.

"Thermobarics, seal your suits!" he told the squad as he did the same.

Thermobaric weapons were nasty. He should have expected the Neo Crusaders to employ them. The weapon's explosives didn't have an oxidizer in them, they relied upon the air of the environment to do that. The result was an overpressure wave similar to a fusion bomb, followed by a vacuum as the explosives consumed the air in the region.

Another burst of light, off to the north. A soldier took cover behind a rock as craters erupted all around her. She stuck her head up, took aim at where the blasts were coming from and fired off a burst.

She went down a moment later as her side seemed to explode and sent her skidding along the ground.

Tails did a double take. Nothing had hit her. Nothing that he had been able to see. He ducked down behind his concealment, and imagined what had just happened. The 'shot' had come from the northeast. The visible gunfire from the north.

His mind zoomed out, and he saw the battlefield. Information flowed in a torrent. The streams of automatic weapon fire. They came from all around, but there was always a few seconds of silence between them. If there really were that many, why were they waiting, why was his unit still alive?

"Distract and destroy," he whispered. "Kalzone, where are you?"

"Buddy and I are set up on the remains of the LAAT. We just got the X set up, but we can't track the bastards shooting at us."

"Direct your fire northeast, bearing zero-six-one."

"Sir?"

"Do it!" he said, and then opened up a system wide link. "All units, this is Foxtrot, keep your eyes peeled, this is a Thorian Pincher maneuver. There are only two fire teams out there. The guys shooting at us are just distractions. Try to pin them down, but other than that, keep scanning the woods, they're not the main ones killing us."

"Heavy downrange, vector zero-six-one." Kalzone called out a second later.

Soldiers made sure they were clear as dozens of high powered energy blasts made their way towards the bearing that Tails had called out. The young platoon commander watched intently, prayed that his gamble would pay off.

He watched the area intently for any sign as the bolts hit.

Movement, the bushes rustling mere moments before they exploded. He raised his rifle, sighted up, and let fly.

The blast was different this time. He saw sparks fly, saw something shift, stumble, but keep moving. He tracked it, kept firing.

"Vector zero-four-nine!" he called out. "Alpha, concentrate your fire there, now."

Additional lines of fire opened up as the rest of his team complied with his given order. The environment in which the enemy soldier had been hiding began to fly apart, flames erupting everywhere. Trees that were hit collapsed as three shot bursts vaporized them or blew them to pieces. Then there was a fireball that came as one of Carmine's grenades zipped in and exploded. Tails' visor attempted to polarize to protect his eyes, but he could still see the silhouette of his target illuminated by the blast, some fifty meters distant. He ducked down as he realized that the soldier's weapon was pointed right at him.

He felt the heat as an invisible force passed over his head. A small shudder through his suit and into his bones as the round hit behind him. Something flecked upon his suit, and he heard steam hiss its way up behind him. He looked up and fired off a snap shot. The burst of fire knocked the Neo Crusader back, which gave the others all the time they needed to sight him up.

The soldier went down as dozens of energy blasts connected with him. Tails kept his rifle trained on the area for two seconds, just to make sure the target wasn't getting back up, then he went back to scanning the woods, pausing for a moment to reload his weapon.

He cursed the fact that his thermal gear wasn't working. How could they have gotten past that?

No matter, it was an obstacle he'd have to worry about later. He looked up at his status HUD. He'd lost ten soldiers, and another three were down and wounded. The two medics had hauled them behind the remnants of the LAAT and were now working to stabilize them.

Parts of the craft suddenly flew apart in a tremendous explosion. The front armor, relatively undamaged by the SAM that had knocked it from the sky, was destroyed as three craters opened up in it. The fireball blew Kalzone and his comrade off the top of the craft. They both landed with grunts on the ground. Status indicators said they were okay, but one look told the platoon commander all that he needed to know about their weapon. It was officially out of commission.

The two soldiers drew their back up weapons, small carbines, and peaked back out around the hull of the craft.

"Keep your heads down!" he shouted over to them.

They ducked back, and not half a moment later the craft began to glow red as an energy weapon struck it. The young fox stared at the expanding ring, examined the angle, and mentally traced it back to where it had originated from. He fired off three bursts in rapid succession. He saw movement, and rolled to one side out of instinct, putting a tree between himself and his target.

As luck would have it, the tree he had taken cover behind was in fact, real. He discovered this as a shot from the Neo Crusader's weapon shattered the trunk and it started to fall. It got clear just in time for it to come down with a thunderous crash.

"Team…" he began.

Alpha Team was already on it. They lit up the darkness with their weapons fire. There was a flash of light, the distant sound of a rocket shrieking. He saw something move, shooting up into the air.

"He's gone airborne!"

The land in front of him exploded. The warning came too late. He felt a punch, almost like he'd just been hit by a hovercraft, and he was aware of the sensation that he was weightless.

A second impact followed the first. He felt dirt, rocks, and flecks of glass sliding against his armor as he rolled over backwards a couple of time.

He came to a stop, and lay there. His eyes bulged outwards his mouth was open, he tried desperately to get air into his lungs, to will it to happen. He stared down at his chest, fearing for one horrific moment, that he wouldn't find one.

He was still whole, his armor intact, if just barely. It glowed underneath the fury of the shot that had struck him, he could see bits of soil melting and adhering to the suit. It was some small relief, to know that the reason he couldn't breathe was solely to the fact that the Bolter weapons packed a wicked physical punch. Slowly, his world spinning, he struggled up to his knees and searched about for his rifle.

The Lancer was some five meters distant from him, he must have dropped it somewhere in mid-flight.

Another explosion reached his ears. He looked out and saw that his squad had come under a barrage of buster rocket fire. The troops scrambled and dove, but one didn't move quickly enough.

Joshua was buffeted by the shockwave of one of the blasts. It picked him up and hurled him against the LAAT. Tails heard a groan as the ferret slid down and slumped forward. He was out, but not dead. He looked out and saw the Neo Crusader land further back. The gun's invisible bolts ripped through the platoon a moment later. A member of Beta Squad went down, his back blown open by the burst.

A bright beam of light struck the Clone after that, rocking him backwards. Tails' recognized the shot, it had come from Mina. The girl had her sniper rifle out, and fired again. Again the trooper was knocked backwards, but he was still up, he leveled his gun, fired off a shot form the hip. The mongoose leaped out of the way as soon as she saw what her foe was doing. Two more shots came in as she rolled up, one of them even ripping the bottom portion of her boots off.

Tails finally reached his rifle, and leveled it. The blast was fully automatic. He didn't care about accuracy, he just wanted to distract the Mandalorian.

He succeeded. The weapon, he saw it as a grenadier variant, was aimed at him.

Another burst of automatic gunfire filled the night air. Instinctively, the Neo Crusader lifted off, flying backwards into the night. His weapon fired as he flew up and around a tree, ripping more holes in the ground.

Then Mina fired again.

Tails had to admit that he was impressed. The girl managed to nail an airborne target going more than a hundred kilometers an hour. The Mandalorian dropped as the high powered bolt punched through the abdominal armor. At the last minute, he seemed to catch himself, but it wasn't enough, and he slammed into the ground.

"Bagged another one." Her tone was neutral, icy.

"We've got two down over here, including the one with the repeater." Gamma leader echoed over the comlink.

"Roger that," Tails said, his voice weak as he finally managed to get enough air flowing into his lungs to talk. "Someone check on Joshua, and get that radio back up!"

He peaked around the corner of the LAAT. He could see nothing, but Beta Squad was putting down a heavy amount of fire on a position to the north. One of them screamed as a shot found him, and threw him backwards. Another hit him in mid-flight. His armor failed, and the scream was cut short.

Tails brought up his rifle, looked down the scope and searched for any sign of movement.

Sparks flew as one of the Beta Squad soldiers found her target. The rest of the troops started to zero in, only to find themselves forced to scatter as the ground around them started to erupt into craters. The Mandalorian started to withdraw, her weapon firing in automatic bursts down at the Royal Army soldiers. More shots flew up towards her, ripping apart her cover as she dashed and fired.

As he pulled the trigger, the platoon commander found himself unable to hold back a streak of jealousy and envy of the enemy. Their armor enabled them to shoot accurately while they were running. What he wouldn't give to be able to do that. It would really level the playing field.

Well, with any luck, they'd manage to take one of them alive and give the boys and girls back at R&D a little something to play with.

He fired a burst, and caught the running Neo Crusader in her leg. The armored soldier stumbled, but kept going, and threw her weapon his way. He ducked and rolled as she outflanked his cover.

Another shot from Mina smashed into the trooper's leg. She went down , but she kept firing. Fortunately for Tails, he was able to roll out of her sight. There was another loud crack as a sniper bolt zipped through the air, followed swiftly by a second, and the shooting stooped. He breathed a sigh of relief, and then looked back out. He moved his rifle around, searching for that final trooper.

Delta Squad sent up a barrage of grenade launcher and blaster fire towards a western region of the forest. The rest of the squad began to focus on the Neo Crusader as well. The soldier must have realized that he was doomed, for he turned the full might of his arsenal upon them. Busters streaked towards their position, and a Stinger missile leapt into the air. Soldiers scattered, dodged and ran about in a frantic effort to dodge the incoming blasts.

The Stinger proved to be the nastiest surprise of all.

It hit the ground in the middle of the platoon formation, and once again Tail's felt the overpressure wave of the blast as twenty meter wide blast erupted from ground zero and carved out a crater half as deep. But, as an alarm warbled in his helmet, he realized that it was no ordinary explosive, nor was it a thermobaric device.

His armor's systems were picking up traces of baridium.

The weapon was a fusion device.

"Get the wounded out of here!" he shouted, "drag 'em out if you have to, but don't let that radiation get near them!"

The two medics made haste to comply with his orders as he opened fire of the soldier. Stubborn as ever, and imbued with the fighting spirit that had made his kind so feared for so long, the Mandalorian kept on against the impossible odds. But the law of averages got him eventually. He stumbled to the ground and more fire poured onto him Dozens of bolts, and his armor glowed like a miniature star in the light of the evening. Two more moments passed before he called for a cease fire.

"Everyone who's still on their feet, get moving, we've still got another team to deal with." His voice was calmer now, that the immediate threat had passed. But his adrenaline still flowed. There was still a lot that could go wrong.

Bent nearly double once again, the remaining members of the platoon rushed across the scarred forest. They ducked under or leaped over fallen trees, felt their boots crunch against glass lined craters, and felt their feet grow warmer as they treaded upon freshly slagged rocks.

"Status?" Tails asked as they approached, trying to make himself heard over the chaos of the comm. chatter.

"We're down to fifty percent manpower over here, and platoon one's been virtually wiped out. They got us clean," the ranking member of Whisky Platoon said.

Tails winced, and realized how lucky his people had been. He motioned his men and women to spread out, and put out suppression fire to keep the Neo Crusaders pinned. He strained his eyes, searching for them.

A beam of purple energy shot down through the trees. The corporal instantly traced it back to the source. He saw the cliffs of the mountains, some five kilometers distant. The beam came again, smashed down through the flora and nearly blinded him. He squinted and zoomed his visor in on the area of the forest where the energy was coming down. He saw movement, and looked back up to the cliffs.

It took a mighty effort, but he thought he could see rocks flying into the air and parts of the mountain's face shattering and melting under a barrage of Neo Crusader rifle fire.

He threw himself into a forward roll as pulses of blue energy lanced towards his platoon. Apparently, the Neo Crusader with the repeater was still running around over here. His skills were supreme, and the whole company found themselves having to duck as he sprayed rounds all over.

His accuracy was disturbing. Even as he dashed along and spat bursts of fire at him, men and women dropped to the ground. A pair of Buster rockets followed, and two soldiers from Tango Platoon were enveloped in the blasts.

The young fox leveled his Lancer rifle and took aim. Then the light came again. It hit the enemy soldier dead in the throat, and he went down like a sack bricks.

As he shifted around to seek another target, the light continued to come. Three times it came. He kept looking for a target.

It would take a few moments for the platoon commander to realize that they were not longer being fired at. He shouted over the command channel for a cease fire. Such was his authority that the rest listened to him. Their weapons fell silent, and they looked around, searching for the enemy. They were there, somewhere.

Tails looked over his shoulder to Mina. He singled the mongoose forward. She nodded, and started out. Other scouts also moved up into the burning foliage.

The next few minutes were tense. Tails wanted to take of his helmet, let himself breathe fresh air, and let his head cool off. He knew better than that though. So he consigned himself to wait.

"Nothing." Mina's voice broke the silence.

"What do you mean, nothing?"

"I mean there's nothing here, Sir. They're gone, like they just disappeared."

Tails remained silent, but he didn't like what he was hearing. He kept scanning about, switching his viewing modes. Mina appeared to be right, however, there were no further assaults, no rockets or invisible rifle shots hitting them.

But where had the enemy gone? Had they fled? Had they been cut down? But, then, if they were dead, where were the bodies?

"Regroup, and status on the long range comms?"

"Static's clearing up, Sir, I think I'm getting HQ on the other end here." Tails turned, and could see Joshua at the other end of the shattered area. The soldier's vitals were fine, but he appeared to be a little woozy.

"Patch them through."

Static crackled for a moment. "Report!" Someone shouted, and the platoon commander could practically hear the spittle flying against the mike at the other end.

"Command, we have engaged enemy forces, repeat, hard contact with enemy units," he said. "Hostiles have been repelled, but heavy causalities have been taken, and our air support's down. We need medivacs."

"Say again, heavy causalities?" the operator asked.

"Confirm, HQ, we have suffered heavy loses. Tango and Whisky platoons are down below fifty percent, Foxtrot is holding in at around seventy five."

"Roger that. Enemy status?"

"One enemy fire team KIA, the other unknown. They've stopped shooting though, and we can't find them." He suddenly felt very tired.

"Roger, sit tight, we're sending in LAATs to haul you out of there."

He fought off the urge to throw himself down on the ground. That other group could still be out there somewhere. It wouldn't do to die now.

Still, he felt the mission was nearly over. His baptism by fire was at its end. The question remained, though. Did he pass, or fail?

"Okay, people, we're heading back over to our end of things. We've got bodies to collect."

The troops shifted back to their original position. Once there, they slowly advanced towards the fallen Neo Crusaders, weary of any traps.

They found them easily enough, and it was then that Tails discovered why his squad had so much trouble.

The armor was painted a dark jungle green. It had blended in almost perfectly with the surrounding environment. Then he noticed that the armor was heavier than the briefings pointed to, the plating thicker. He stared for a moment, and then realized why.

Cuy'val Dar.

They'd been attacked by Neo Crusader special forces.

While the amount of causalities still tore at him, suddenly, the young man didn't feel quite as bad as before.

Mina got down next to the fallen Clone, and motioned everyone away from the corpse.

"Don't touch it!" she hissed.

Tails backed off, and mentally swore. Only now did he realize that the soldier's arm was tucked under his gut. In his last moments, it would appear as thought he trooper had had enough left in him to pull out one of his grenades and arm it. The slightest bump, and the trap would be sprung.

"We got a live one here!"

The group moved over towards the call, and found the female soldier crawling along, hand over hand, towards one of the other fallen. Rifles were pointed towards her in an instant, but she paid them no heed. Tails saw that the seal of her armor was broken, and the extensive damage that she'd suffered. He heard wet coughing, knew that the soldier's lungs were filling up with blood. Her body was too damaged for her armor's medical systems to help her.

He felt a swell of pity inside of himself. Despite the fact that these people had tried to butcher his squad, his friends. There was still something about them, a strange air of nobility. This seen was unbecoming of one of them.

The soldier reached her fallen comrade and threw one arm over him. With another weak shudder, pulled herself close. The platoon commander walked up, and looked down at her. The visor of the helmet had been shattered, and he could see right into it.

He saw the white fur of an artic fox staring back at him. Her eyes were wide, staring past him. Another twitch passed through the Clone, and then the eyes shut forever.

It was then he heard the beeping. It sounded like an alarm, and he noticed a red flash against the face of the corpse. His eyes widened, and he pivoted.

The others figured it out at about the same time, and fled from the vicinity.

Less than four seconds later, the shut down of the suit's fail safes caused armor's fusion cells to go critical. A blast larger than a Stinger missile went up into the sky, a final testament of defiance.

* * *

The debriefing was coming to an end. They'd discussed briefly what had happened, what could have been done differently, what intelligence had been learned. Tails had barely been able to keep his mind off of what he had seen. So much destruction, so much, caused by so few. He felt like a failure.

"Finally, I hope that this has taught you the most important lesson a soldier can learn," Derrick said, as he paced back and forth. A dozen sets of eyes gazed up at him, curious, questioning. "If you don't believe in the Goddess, you had better have a damn good substitute. Now, then, dismissed."

Tails started to follow the others out, to head back towards the barracks for some very much needed R and R, when something caused him to stop. He snapped his fingers, and walked back over to where Derrick and Colonel Alexis were.

"Sir, there's one thing I forgot about," he said, "I'm not sure whose idea it was, but I'd like to put in a recommendation of merit for the sniper team that was up there on the mountains. Whoever they were, they got us out of a tight spot."

Derrick cocked his head behind his helmet, and Alexis arched an eyebrow.

"What are you talking about, son?" the badger asked.

"There was a sniper team up there that was laying down fire on the Cuy'val Dar squadron attacking Tango and Whisky Platoons. I don't know if they got them all or not, but they chased them off. Our casualties would have been higher if it weren't for them." He folded his hands behind his back.

"Corporal Prower," Derrick began, his voice low and measured, "there wasn't a Royal Army sniper unit out there with you. There was no one else from our forces at all that were in that area. We'd withdrawn them until we could solve this problem."

Tails swore he felt a cold wind blow across his spine.

* * *

Jaster frowned as he read the report. Two Cuy'val Dar squadrons lost in the engagement. He felt a tugging at his heart and he bowed his head for a moment of silence.

Still, he had his orders now. This assault had told them the last of what they needed to know for their recon phase. It was time to move forward. Shadow was ordering the initiation of phase two.

It was time for the world to remember that which it had forgotten.

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Okay, that's out of the way, and boy are my fingers sore. At any rate, as always, I hope that you found the chapter to your liking, and that I'm up to par. Additionally, ideas for weapons, vehicles, and the like are welcome, and anything else you'd like to see. 

Thank you all so much once again for your time, and have a happy Easter. If you're traveling, I hope you have a safe trip.

See you guys next time.


	19. Hunted

Hello again everyone. Sorry if you were expecting this sooner, but its exam season down here. I've got three coming up next week so wish me luck. After that, though, I'm free!... for a full seven days. Then summer classes start.

On a more positive and uplifting note, I managed to get into the advanced creative fiction workshop I was aiming for, and my article and essay teacher has called my most recent essay 'the best one he's read all semsister, out of more than a hundred'. While the essay still needs some work, you can imagine how I feel right now. Add to that that my Armored Core 4 music CD just arrived yesterday (I'm big on the techno/classical/latin lyrical combat music) and I feel as though I'm on top of the world. Now if I can only write this paper on the bombing of Dresden, memorize 6 chapters of Latin, and keep in mind all of the tidbits about China since Kublai Khan was in charge and remember all of Japan's recorded history, I should do fine…

Oh, almost forgot: lawyers, you can go kiss your bacon's lawbooks, because I'm not silly enough to claim ownership of Sonic. Wish that weren't the case, considering the way the franchise has been going of late, but that's reality for you.

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Hunted

"Go, go!" the Captain ordered as she jumped on board the gunship.

She felt the craft rumble under his feet as it lifted off into the air. The armored doors started to slam shut, to protect her and the few soldiers that had managed to make it back to the extraction point.

She heard a shriek and saw them land. Two of them. Large, menacing, bristling with weaponry, their metal servos glistening faintly in the sunlight. The seven foot tall monstrosities twisted as they ducked behind the cover of a barricade.

The unique 'pwsh-pah' of their back mounted howitzer guns reached her ears.

The doors slammed shut. She felt the craft rumble and shudder as the shots hit home. Thankfully, the ship held up.

The captain made her way to the front of the craft, removing her helmet and staring down at the auxiliary viewing screens. Their LAAT streaked away from the city at maximum speed. They left a double shockwave behind them as they did so. The viewing camera caught a brief flash of urban camouflage before they were out of sight of the extraction point. She thought she caught a glimpse of a launcher weapon.

A warbling sound warned of a lock on confirmed her thoughts.

"Hang on!" the pilot shouted. The masked Mobian then yanked his ship to the side so quickly that those in the holding area were thrown off their feet.

The captain slammed into the wall. Sparkles danced in front of her eyes for a moment. She shook her head and focused on their pilot. Their lives were in his hands at the moment. The next few seconds would tell if those hands were capable enough to get them out of this mess.

The pilot reached up, pressed a button and twisted a knob. The craft slowed slightly as power was diverted away from the engines and into the LAAT's powerful ECM jamming equipment. Against a traditional, Mobian missile, this could spoof all but the hardiest of guidance packages.

Whatever it was that had just been fired after them, though, clearly was of that caliber. She saw the missile close, and the pilot swore.

"Oh, if my Cee-Oh knew what I was about to do…" the man muttered.

The craft slowed almost to a halt, and then dove down amongst the buildings. The ship rolled on its side, and the captain found herself once again hurled through the air as the ship tried to tuck itself into a ninety degree turn. For an instant she feared death. A fiery conclusion to her life as the ship smashed into a sky scraper.

The craft leveled off a split second later and she felt the engines go back up to full speed. Still the warbling sounded, and she moved up. A look of utter disbelief crossed her face as she stared down at the sensor screen. The missile was still after them. It too had managed to make the turn.

"Fierfek!" the pilot swore and released a couple of flares in an attempt to throw the missile off. He cut his engines again, made them cooler than the decoys that he'd just dropped off.

The next moments were eternity as they waited to see if the warhead would take the bait.

The combination of ECM and several dozen dummy targets proved to be too much for the SAM, and it exploded harmlessly into a cluster of flares. A collective sigh of relief could be heard amongst the soldiers.

"We're not out of this yet," the captain said. He reached for the comm. link on the ship's control board.

"This is Halsey all units, respond. We are bugging out, repeat, Calderas is lost." She struggled to keep the grief out of her voice, the sorrow of knowing that she and everyone else had failed in their duty.

The enemies had hit them hard and fast. They had been like a lightning bolt, swooping in out of nowhere and targeting the cities' power generators before the shields could be raised. Then they'd come, like a ravenous horde.

No, horde was the wrong term. Horde implied unorganized, undisciplined rabble who stormed over their opposition through sheer numbers. The Neo Crusaders had been anything but.

Another alarm warbled, yanking the captain out of her mind, and back to the harsh reality that had just enveloped her.

"Fighters," the pilot cursed again and yanked hard on the control stick.

She barely managed to grab onto a compartment above her head as she slammed into the wall again. Now she knew that she was going to die. Evading one of their SAMs was hard enough, but one of their air superiority craft…

Salvation came in the form of a pair of RC-197s. Sleek and smooth, the two Mobian fighters swooped down to try and destroy the Mandalorian craft.

The enemy ship broke off its attack run on the LAAT, and streaked past it. Its shape was forever burned into Captain Halsey's mind. Sharp and jagged, like a dagger. Its wings merged with a body that moved forward around the cockpit and kept going, resulting in and appearance that resembled a thin racing boat. Its twin ventral maneuvering flaps stuck off of the body at hundred and thirty degree angles.

It looked in every way the aerial murder machine it had proven itself to be.

The larger one ninety sevens took off after the ship. Their large blaster canons filled the air with superheated energy. One of the bolts struck the Mandalorian craft, followed swiftly by a missile. A shimmering energy field appeared around it and absorbed the shots. Then prey became predator. In a lightning fast movement, the craft jinked around, pivoting on its axis until it was facing the two Mobian ships. The massive rotary cannons that were just in front of the cockpit opened up. One of the Mobian ships was destroyed almost instantly, transformed into a ball of fire and smoke.

The other craft managed to swerve out of the way of the blasts, as did the transport behind it. The Neo Crusader ship didn't even hesitate. With a strafing maneuver that would have looked more at home on a land hovercraft, it kept up its assault. The one ninety seven pilot was good. He survived for almost thirty seconds.

The Captain fought her way up to the pilot's sensor screens once again. There were no other friendly in the area that she could see. Some of the battle might have been interfering with it—the Neo Crusaders were throwing out electronic warfare measures like they were going out of style—but if the sensors were correct, that meant that they were the only ones in twenty cubic kilometers of airspace.

No one else between them and the enemy fighter.

The ship came back around, and their pilot fired the LAAT's point defense weaponry for all he was worth. The craft dodged and rolled and flipped in maneuvers that didn't seem possible. None of the shots hit home upon it.

It was beside them in seconds and all on board waited for death. No weapons flashed though, and it was too close to use a missile attack upon them. What was it waiting for? Was it trying to let them feel panic before they were blown away? The pilot fired the port side defensive weaponry again, trying to drive it off. The Mandalorian pilot dodged the weapon with contemptuous ease.

The air superiority craft finally left them behind. It broke off, heading southwest, towards the heart of the city. Captain Halsey stood where she was, confused and aghast. Why had this ship been spared? What hadn't the fighter attacked? It had had more than enough time to shred their defenses.

Beneath her, the city began to disappear, and off on the horizon, she could see the Neo Crusader artillery that had pounded them during the entire assault. It was silent now, still as death.

Death. She was more familiar with it now than ever before. Two thirds of her company was dead. Perhaps more than that really. She hadn't been able to hook up or make contact with her executive officer, and the twenty or so troops that were left of her platoons.

She had to get to Station Square. She had to warn the rest of command of what had happened here. They needed to know that the long feared assault had finally come, and what the Mandalorians were bringing to the party.

* * *

The drop ship streaked into the city and set down upon its landing pad. Overhead, a full flight of more than forty eight fighter craft split up and continued to fly top cover. The door on the side of the ship opened up, and troops, armed to the teeth and dressed in resplendent Erado suits spilled out and got into parade formation.

Colonel Alexis stood twenty meters away from them. Derek was by his side, his hands clasped behind his back.

The drop ship's primary occupant stepped out. The coyote's sandy blond ponytail caught in the gusts of his ride, blowing it slightly askew. He pressed forward regardless. Sunlight glinted off his black uniform which was neatly pressed, but devoid of any of his usual medals or pins.

"General D'Coolette, a pleasure to see you again, Sir." The Colonel snapped to attention, a move that Derrick copied.

"No time for pleasantries Alexis. Straight to the heart of the matter," he said. His voice was hard. "What is the status on the data you've managed to obtain from the slain Cuy'val Dar?"

"Not a whole hell of a lot, General." The badger shook his head. "They've apparently been indoctrinated to never allow their equipment to fall into enemy hands. I've never seen so many safety overrides, fail safes, and self destruct mechanisms on this kind of equipment before."

"Tell me you have good news, Colonel. We've lost six major cities to them in the past twelve hours, and all reports indicate that they aren't about to stop now."

The Colonel's ears drooped beneath his hat. He knew of the losses they were suffering but to hear it come form the man at the top…

"We've have discovered how they were able to hide so effectively however," Derrick said as he fell into line next to the two men. "Their Jurkadir rifles were modified with an extra chamber. A side loaded gas cartridge was hooked up into it, right above and in front of the trigger region. It was combining with the energy bolt and rendering it invisible. They were also using suppressors."

"Components of the gas?"

"Still working on that, Sir, but the scientists are hoping to have it analyzed by the end of the afternoon." The Mandalorian's voice was neutral, the mechanical distortion of it all the more obvious.

"We may not have that long." Antoine turned his attention to Alexis. "Refugee status?"

"We've gotten everyone in from all the surrounding areas. All the important stuff from our military bases has been packed up and shifted over to here." He snorted bitterly. "Seems like that mandate to make all vital base equipment mobile has finally paid off.

Antoine looked across the building tops, and save a medical field unit floating by on its massive repulsor lifts. He had to agree. It had been useful, being able to pull everything together. The military bases had their own shielding units, but thee reports they'd received indicated that individually they wouldn't last long against what Shadow's forces were throwing around.

Instead, they'd be hook into the city power gird and used to supplement its own strength.

"How long before the shields are ready to go? I want them to be able to go up the moment we need them."

"They're ready now. As is everything else. Aircraft, tanks, infantry, artillery, all of it good to go." Alexis said, his eyes narrowed, a soft growl coming into his voice.

"Excellent, if COMSAT even hints that the Mando's are about to twitch in this direction, I want those things up and running. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir," both soldiers said as they arrived at the door to the building.

Within its chambers sat the city and regional council. Sweat beaded down their brows and many of them tapped styluses, datapads, or other such devices against the table. Antoine understood their fear as he looked out over them. They were leaders, and all day they'd been hearing reports of the juggernaut that was tearing through them. They were worried for their people, and for themselves. No reports had yet come for what had happened to the citizens of the city or their leaders. History, though, told them what they might expect should the city fall.

"Elected Councilors, I'll skip the pleasantries, we need to get everything together." Antoine's voice was as calm as he could make it. "What's the status on citizen emergency plans?"

"The minute we're certain we're being targeted they are under standing orders to head underground into the subway systems and other bomb shelters. We've spent the past few months reinforcing them just in case something like this were ever to happen." A woman said as she tapped a stylus against her lips.

Antoine nodded, and a map of the city was drawn up on a holo projector.

"We must make preparations for the fact that no matter how strong our shields are, the Mandalorians will find some way to either bypass it or bring it down. If our newly discovered intel on them is any indication, we can expect some clever, and underhanded, tricks." The General gestured to a few sections along the rim of the town. "My suggestion is to systematically destroy buildings along these routes here in order to force them into a bottlenecked channel. We'll need massive amounts of anti-aircraft weaponry to stop their drop ships from simply carting them deeper into the city, but I feel this is the best defense that we can mount." He paused, and looked out over the assembly. "We have to stop them from getting any kind of toehold into the city, because once that happens, it will be significantly harder to repel them, especially if they get their armor in here and set up LZs and supply dumps."

"You're suggesting the destruction of our own city in order to stop them?" One man, an old rabbit, looked at him like he was insane.

"As painful as it can be, a scorched earth policy is the best route to take here." Antoine shrugged. "While our troops are showing considerable skill given the amount of time that they've had to train, they cannot match the Neo Crusaders on even terms. This is why it is so important that the civilians be in safe locations, away from any harm if it should come to that."

"Can we be certain that we have the numbers to win even if we start destroying our city for them?" the lapin's voice was hard, and he looked at the General with accusing eyes.

"No, councilman, we can not. But if you have a better idea for trying to overcome the disadvantage that our soldiers will be facing, I would certainly love to hear it." The coyote glared, his temper rising.

The rabbit fell silent, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. Other members of the elected body shifted nervously in their seats, and Antoine was overcome by the sinking feeling that it was going to be a long day.

"Councilman, I would urge you to take a step back and look at the situation here. This is a threat unlike anything we've faced before." He folded his hands behind his back, narrowed his eyes. "These are not Overlanders, they are not Swat Bots. They are a well trained, well equipped, and absolutely ruthless enemy. Six of our cities are gone, and Station Square will be next if we don't act exactly as the situation merits."

"What are we supposed to tell the citizens? That their homes are to be destroyed by their own people, the people that are supposed to be protecting them?" The rabbit spoke up again.

"Tell them that the Neo Crusader artillery will do it if we don't." His calmness slipped, a touch of anger made its way into his voice. "So notify them to pack up any valuables that they absolutely cannot bear to part with, and have them clear out."

Derrick frowned behind his helmet. When were these civilians going to learn? He was tempted to open his mouth and tell them how stupid they were being, but his mechanical mind caught himself at the last minute. The General was doing a well enough job on his own right now, better not complicate things.

"Is there anything else that you need us to do?" a woman asked.

"Get a hold of Mobotropolis central command, tell them I want every com and spy satellite that they can spare hovering over this region and I want it now."

"At once, General."

Antoine nodded once, and then turned to leave. He motioned for Alexis and Derrick to follow him, and the two fell into line.

"What should we tell the troops?" the Master Sergeant asked. He looked at the coyote out of the corner of his eye.

"I'll address them myself later this evening, but for now, simply let them know that they need to be preparing for the worst." Antoine's voice carried a heavy tone now.

"Do you think that we can stop them?" Derrick folded his hands behind his back and bowed his head slightly.

"Only time will tell, Derrick. I want to think that we can, but I know how your kind are. They don't fear death… they won't stop coming until they've accomplished their mission or died trying." Antoine closed his eyes as they approached the turbo lift in front of them. "There is something you can do for me, though."

Derrick stared at his superior for a moment or two, and then nodded his head. "I'll take you to him."

* * *

Half a world away, a rabbit leaned against a balcony rail. Her eyes were half closed, shutting out the glare from the setting sun. She rested her head down on her arm, felt the cool metal against the fur of her cheek, and sighed.

She knew not for how long she remained that way, until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Startled, she looked up, and found herself staring into a pair of blue eyes.

"Sally-girl, you should know better than to sneak up on a grieving girl like that, I might have hurt you." Bunnie said. She relaxed and went back to staring off into oblivion.

"Grieving?" The princess twisted her friend around till she could see her face. "What do you mean?"

"I've… I've just got this feeling, that something really bad's about to happen." A tear glistened in her eye. "I don't understand. Why do things keep turning out like this?"

"Because people are flawed beings, Bunnie," Sally reached out and held her old friend close. "Don't worry about Antoine, though, he's got too much to live for not to come back to you. And So… a friend's promised to watch out for him."

"He's down there now?" The rabbit shifted her gaze slightly. "You told him about Tails didn't you?"

"Yes, and for now, the little guy's fine."

"You can't keep calling him that, Sally-girl. He's grown up now. He can vote, fight in a war, or he could get hitched if he wanted to." A smile tugged at the edges of her mouth, and made its way up to her eyes.

"I suppose not, but he'll always be my son." The ground squirrel sighed, and put her elbows on the balcony.

The city in front of her was a changing one. The beautiful skyline of the capital of the planet was still there, but now that aesthetic beauty was marred by the defenses being put into place. Elegantly rising buildings were now rimmed by anti-aircraft turrets, surface to air missile launchers, and a host of sensor jamming systems. Military craft patrolled the skies, and even above the roar of the countless hover crafts and the city's industrial might, the sound of troops marching, training, and drilling could be heard.

There could be no denial. War had come to Mobius again.

Behind them, a light burned out, a sharp crack filling the air as it did so. The two women looked over at it. For what seemed like hours, they stared at it, at the darkness that now stood where once had been light.

Behind them, the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Look, I've got some stuff I've got to go take care of, but if you need anything, anything at all, just let me know, okay?" Sally said as she smiled down at her friend once more.

Bunnie nodded silently, and returned her attention to the city.

As she heard Sally leave, she sighed once more, and lowered her head. Her biological arm slipped off the balcony and wrapped itself around her abdomen.

As she closed the door behind her, the princess felt eyes upon her. Turning she saw St. John in the corridor. His arms were crossed over his chest, a crooked smile upon his face.

"Milady," he began to say.

"Don't have time for you now, Geoffrey," she pushed him aside as he headed for the palace courtyard. "I want to spend some time with my daughter before Hell breaks loose."

* * *

He picked at his food, his fork slipping around through something that was supposed to be meatloaf. A hand propped his head up as he stabbed a piece of gravy drowned meat. His mouth closed around it, but he ignored the flavor. His mind was elsewhere.

Almost a quarter of his platoon were either dead or getting new limbs bolted on. They had been his responsibility.

Tails kept running his mind back over the engagement. What could he have done differently? What could he have attempted? What maneuvers could he have called out that might have stopped them from dying? And what of Derrick's advice? Had he spent their lives, or had he wasted them?

"Cheer up, man, it could have been worse."

"Pray tell, how, Carmine?" the vulpine asked as he finally glanced up from his tray.

"There could have been more than two teams out there, they could have had support…"

"And our little sniper friends might not have been where they were at such a convenient time." Mina added. Her features were soft for once, her tone not as icy as normal. The battle had awakened something inside of her, something that changed her, but how exactly Tails couldn't say.

"Okay, okay, I get the point." He ran a hand through his fur, mussing up his hair. "I just keep feeling that there's something else I should have done."

"Well, I got a sinking feeling you're going to get another shot," Joshua spoke up. The ferret let his gaze drift between the three of them. "Does anyone else think it's weird, though?"

"Our 'assistance?'" Mina gave him a look. "It has weird written all over it. You saw those flashes; those guys were five clicks out from us. Our guns don't have that kind of range."

"So who could it have been?" Carmine scratched his head as he spoke. "I mean, the Clones are pretty much flesh and blood robots, so that rules them out. I'm pretty certain we would have been briefed on a spec weapons unit being in the area, especially if they were supposed to be working with us."

"And then there's the fact that we couldn't find the bodies after they went down. Those Neos didn't just get up and walk off, or disappear off the face of Mobius." Mina tapped her spoon against her tray poignantly.

"You reckon there's something going on up at the top end of things that we aren't supposed to know about?" the raccoon said with a frown.

"It's possible. Grunts down at the bottom tend to be last on the list of 'need to know' people." Mina shrugged.

The doors at the far end of the mess hall opened up. They were sitting close to it, so Tails could actually see who was emerging from the other side. He nearly dropped his utensil as he saw who it was.

Antoine looked over, and his eyes settled the boy. He opened his mouth, only to see the fox give his head a subtle shake. The General nodded slowly, and then motioned for Derrick, standing at his side.

The Death Watchman made his way over to where the platoon was sitting and came to a ridged stop.

"Corporal, you are needed," he said, and then turned to make his way back to his superior.

The young man rose from his seat and fell into step behind the Mandalorian. The rest of the platoon just shrugged and went back to eating their meal. All except Carmine, that is. He'd see the shake of Tails' head, seen who it was directed at.

Who was his platoon commander that could stall even the supreme general of Mobius into silence? The raccoon wiped his mouth, got up, and trotted out through the door.

He caught a fleeting glimpse of a pair of bushy tails rounding a corner and he twisted to follow. He kept his footsteps as silent as he could, snuck up to the corner, and peered around. Again he saw Tails as he turned down another corner.

He followed them in this manner for some time, until at last they emerged from the military complex and into the city. People were milling about, but it was difficult to miss a Royal Army member in uniform, even in the sea of chaos.

Station Square, like Mobotropolis, was renowned for its many parks, and it didn't take long for his leader and the General to duck into one of them. Again he followed, making certain to stay out sight. Before long, they came to a stop by a pond that was sheltered by a grove of trees. General D'Coolette went down on a knee, traced his hand through the water and kept his back to the young fox behind him.

"Your aunts have been worrying about you, Tails, they say you don't write as often as you should." He said after a time.

"Tell them I'm sorry. It's hard to keep up with writing to them, mom and dad, and Amy all at once, Antoine," the young man crossed his arms and took a couple of steps forward, until the water teased the toes of his boots. "How's everything back home?"

"Oh, the usual. Sally's busy looking after Saria, Rotor is busy heading up weapons research and trying to crank out more things to level the playing field with, Sir Charles is going over the information from the ARC project to see if there's anything that we can use against Shadow… oh yes, and Geoffrey is still the conniving bastard that he always was." He finished with a chuckle, before he rose and looped an arm around the fox. "Heh, it almost reminds me of being back at Knothole."

Carmine, his back against a stout oak tree, felt his eyes threaten to pop out of their sockets. He wasn't stupid, he knew who those people were. Piece by piece, everything started to fall into place.

"How's Aunt Bunnie doing?" The fox asked.

"She believes that she might have caught a stomach flu bug, or something," Antoine said. "Shadow and his fellows have planned this offensive at a most inconvenient time.

"I'm beginning to wonder if I'm cut out for this life," Tails let his head drop, his eyes on his boots. "My first scrap, and I've already gotten almost ad dozen people killed.

Antoine remained silent, but he kept his eyes upon the young man. A sympathetic smile came over his face and shook his head.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," he forced the Corporal to look at him. "It was your first engagement against an unknown enemy force that no one could be sure how they would operate, and you were up against Neo Crusader special forces. You did remarkably well."

Tails cocked an eyebrow.

"I mean it, kid. I think you and everyone else were spoiled by our war against Robotnik." He folded his arms behind his back. "I remember the war reports that my father used to read to me when the Great War still raged. Do you know what the casualty figures for that debacle were?"

"No."

"A platoon commander could fully expect two thirds of his soldiers to be either wounded or killed when facing Overlander forces in a given campaign." The coyote's voice grew quiet; his eyes began to tear up. "Against Mandalorians… it used to drive my father to tears. Any unit unfortunate enough to run into them, in a situation where the Mandos were not absolutely outnumbered by a Goddess-awful amount of soldiers, could expect a death rate of over ninety percent."

Tails said nothing, just stood where he was, his eyes upon the man that he'd grown up with.

"I'm certain your father could tell you a situation that was much the same, as could Derrick."

"So what's the plan for when the Clones turn their noses our way?" Tails said in an attempt to get the subject onto something he was more comfortable with.

"Use our shields to hold them at bay and employ counter-siege tactics against them. In the event that they break through, selected portions of the city will be demolished in order to provide a 'meat grinder' effect." Antoine said.

"I see. Any idea on numbers or things like that?" he asked.

"We'll be going over that in the briefing that I've arranged…"

A beeping sound on his belt caused the General to pause. He reached down and pulled out a comm. unit. A blue and white hologram of Colonel Alexis flickered to life.

"General, COMSAT indicates the Mandalorians are turning their attention towards the city." The badger saluted. "What are your orders?"

"How far away are they?"

"They're moving to rendezvous, leaving some of their forces behind in the conquered cities. We suspect they're maybe two hours out from us."

"Numbers?" The coyote's voice was calm again. He was going into his element once more.

"We can't get a good count on them from satellite imaging, but its several hundred thousand of them, that much is certain." The badger paused. "What do you want us to do?"

"Get everyone to the shelters, activate the shields, ready artillery, and scramble all military units. Our test is coming, so keep those sky-eyes peeled, will you?" Antoine was already starting to dash out of the park, Tails hot on his heels.

"We'll do it for as long as we are able. It looks like they're getting ready to try to knock them out with long range weapons."

"Render us blind and deaf…" the General muttered quietly. "Clever bastards."

Alexis nodded, and then faded. Antoine turned over to Tails.

"So much for the warm up…" he said quietly.

The young man could only nod in reply.

Back in the park, Carmine leaned against the tree for a couple of seconds. He didn't know what to make of this sudden twist. Everything was happening so quickly. The raccoon shook his head, and then started off after his leaders. It was time to gear up.

* * *

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* * *

Okay, I know that was short, but I promise the next one will be longer. As always, feedback on my performance is greatly appreciated, be it in the form of constructive criticism, general advice, flames, or other such things. 

That said, thank you all for your time and patience, and until we meet again, take care.


	20. Vae Victus

(walks out, looking ragged)

Hello again everyone, and let me say its glad to have this one finished. Between internet problems, a ton of chores during my time off (up to and including assisting in the construction of a house), summer school starting, and my laptop deciding to eat the first four thousand words of this chapter, it's been a rough one to turn out. It's a long one, and I hope you find it to your enjoyment, though it doubtless has problems (hangs head in shame).

I want to once again sincerely thank everyone who's read the story for taking the time to do so. I also hope that I've managed to respond properly to everyone who reviewed (I'm certain most of you are aware of the problems the site had last week). If I missed you, let me know, and I'll respond to you ASAP.

Lawyers, who ranks I might one day be joining if my parents get their way, I own nothing save for the products of my own mind.

That said, here's chapter twenty.

* * *

&

* * *

Vae Victus

If a visitor was ever to come to Southern Mobius at this point in time, they would find a most curious sight. The city of Station Square was surrounded by a massive, shimmering bubble. It stretched up into the sky, covering the highest of the megalopolis' buildings with room to spare. Stretching all around the city, in outward concentric circles, was a series of smaller rings. Flashes traveled back and forth between the bubble and the rings in a series of beautiful, striking patterns. A visitor would think it some manner of celebration or a piece of magnificent art.

They would be wrong.

The bubble and rings were shields, the flashes high powered artillery at work.

For more than a week this had carried on. Both sides trying to annihilate the others defenses, both sides failing.

Jaster had always considered himself patient, but he was starting to find himself growing more irritated as the situation wore on. They'd been here for a week, long enough for his troops to dig themselves into a half dozen trenches large enough to encircle the whole city. Still, that shield showed no signs of failing, or even weakening.

He saw a flash of light streaking upwards from within Station Square. A giant blob of plasma energy launched from one of their many cannons. A hole opened up in the shield, perfectly matched to the size and shape of the bomb. The bluish white sun shot through the hole and down towards the front line trenches. The hole snapped shut and left a perfect, unmarred barrier protecting the city.

The Mandalore stood at his post, watched stoically as the plasma bomb fell down towards his comrades. It hit two kilometers away from where he stood, but he still felt the shockwave from the strike. His electronic viewing screen toned down the blast, and he could see Clones knocked off their feet for dozens of yards in every direction. The shield of their section turned red and buckled and for an instant it looked as if it might fail. After a few seconds, though, the giant mortar dissipated, and though the shield still glowed an angry red, the troops were alive.

"Esper Company, everyone alright?" he asked.

"Affirmative, Mandalore, but I think some of us might need a new change of underwear," the company commander responded.

Jaster Merell looked back over to the city he was trying to take and saw dozens of other such bombs flying up into the air. This was it, the first true test of the Neo Crusader army. They'd overrun cities last week, done so quite quickly, but none of those had been anywhere near the size of this megalopolis.

It was taking too long, and Shadow was growing impatient.

The silver armored warrior twisted around and stormed back into the prefab command structure that had been set up in this section of the trench. Clone soldiers turned and saluted in acknowledgement to his presence, before they went back to their duties. Jaster nodded to them, and entered a small room.

Xarga was there, his black armor scuffed and covered in dirt. The Mandalorian's face was staring down into a holomap, his eyes focused intently at several glowing pulses. It took him some moments to realize that he wasn't alone, and he quickly snapped to attention when he realized who was with him.

"No need for that, old friend," Jaster said with a casual wave of his hand. "Have you found anything that might be useful for reaching our targets yet?"

"Still working on it sir," the snow leopard said with a shake of his head. "The Mobian forces are well aware of the fact that their defenses rely on these shield generators, and they've taken quite a few steps to ensure that compromising them is a difficult thing to do. Comscan has detected a massive amount of exterior defenses from artillery, tanks and vehicles, and infantry."

"Well, it's what we're going to have to do. We've hit that shield with enough energy to glass a small content and it's not showing any signs of budging." Jaster took his helmet off and looked around. His frustration was evident by the disheveled state of his hair, and he looked as if he hadn't slept in a few days.

"Well, I suppose you're right, Sir. What do you want me to do?" Xarga asked.

"We're going to initiate Plan B, so round everyone up," the timber wolf said, as he reached into a pouch and took out a hypodermic kit.

Xarga watched as his leader put the needle together in record time, pulled down a bit of his body glove, and sank the device into his flesh. Jaster's eyes shot open and his pupils dilated slightly. His hands shook for a moment as he threw the needle away into a biohazard receptacle.

"You know those stims are no substitute for real sleep, right?" Xarga raised an eyebrow.

"A commander can ill afford to sleep at a time like this, old friend," Jaster said as he placed his helmet back down over his head.

* * *

Darkness stared back at him, and the yawning tunnel entrance looked like a hole that lead straight to the abyss.

"Borer droids really are wonderful things," the Mandalore mused, before he turned around and looked behind him. Two full squadron of super commandos stood ready, brandishing their weapons. Behind them, stood yet more troops, and heavy combat droids. "Everyone ready?"

"As ready as we'll ever be, Sir." The squadron leader said, and flashed a thumbs up.

"Good, now let's move!" Jaster drew his heavy bolter pistols and hopped down the hole.

The air rushed around him as he descended. After thirty feet, a failsafe kicked in, and his jetpack activated. Small flares of light came from the unit as it provided the necessary thrust to slow down his decent.

A HUD monitor indicated how deep he was underneath the ground. Thirty meters. Sixty. Ninety. At one hundred and fifty he hit solid bedrock. Another chasm loomed before him. Two meters wide and tall, and perfectly smooth, it would run all the way to the city. It was one of several that would be used to attempt to infiltrate Station Square from underneath the city.

One by one, he heard the Clones touch down behind him. All comms went silent after that, and it was hand signals only.

* * *

Tails watched another plasma bomb smash into the shields. The blue white flare of light blossomed outward like a firework. Reddish cracks could be seen on the shields where the blast had hit, but they quickly faded away. A dull thump vibrated through the fox's bones as the sound finally reached him. The young fox leaned back against the barricade that he was stationed at. He'd lost track of how many shots that made, but it was starting to wear on his nerves.

The protective shield above his head was the only thing between him and an army of almost half a million ruthless killing machines. But the shield worked both ways. Every artillery round that smashed into it, every flare he saw go up into the sky, reminded him that he was trapped here.

A Mandalorian fighter craft zoomed overhead and left its distinctive double shockwave as the noise of its engines struggled to catch up to it. Mobotropolis reinforcements had tried to get in and aid them, but those ships, which had earned the nickname of 'Ravagers' had ripped the air fleet apart with merciless efficiency.

They were alone against this foe.

"I wish someone would hurry up and get through the other's defenses," Joshua said quietly. The ferret had his helmet in his hands, and was staring at the internal systems of the device.

"You're actually looking forward to facing these guys?" Terry said with a shake of his head. "You're nuts."

"Anything's better than just hanging around here, listening to everyone trying to bomb the mess out of the other side." Joshua shrugged. "Besides, they can get resupplies for their guns, we can't."

"So aside from trying to make a meat grinder, do we have any other methods for dealing with the Neos?" Carmine asked as he looked over to Tails.

"Concentration of fire to overwhelm their armor and grenades." The platoon commander responded. His namesakes swished about, looking like black snakes inside of his bodysuit.

"Alright, buddy. You think it'll work?" The raccoon eyed him carefully, as if trying to search the soul of his commander.

"I really don't know," the fox said. He sighed, and then looked down at his rifle, the one thing that seemed constant in his new world. "But its better than just lying down and letting them gut us."

* * *

Jaster came to a halt. The wolf placed his hand against the solid rock wall that was in front of him, let his fingers roam over it. Then he looked up. Above his head was a tiny shaft, no more than a few inches in diameter. A smile crept over his face as he looked into it. It was so small, so deceiving. A causal spelunker would have never guessed that there were dozens of bore-bangs inside of the shaft that were ready to go off and split the tunnel wide open.

HE glanced over to the mission clock, and noted the time. Less than am minute to go before the devices would be set off. Less than a minute before the battle would begin.

Less than a minute until he would have his first true battle under the title of Mandalore.

He was suddenly aware of how sweaty his palms were inside of his battle gauntlets, of the shortness of his breath, and how hot it suddenly felt, like his armor's cooling systems weren't working properly.

He banished the thought from his head. He would not fail, could not afford to. These men and women, his brothers and sisters… his children, were looking to him. The stakes could not be higher, but the payoff, if this worked, would be unfathomable.

He watched the clock tick down. Ten seconds, five, one.

A Clone depressed the trigger on a remote detonator, and the shaped charges above his head went off with a bang that nearly rocked him from his feet. He felt small rocks, originally too small to have been vaporized, bounce off of his armor, felt the heat from the suddenly red hot walls, and relished in it. No more time to think, no more time to regret. There was only the now.

He shot upwards, his jetpack propelling him up the shaft at ever increasing speeds. He saw the chain reaction ahead of him, as the bore-bangs went off. Below him was a deafening roar as more thrusters activated and propelled the Neo Crusaders up the shaft. His thumbs caressed the two guns in his hands, and he braced himself. Ahead of them lay either glorious victory, or ignoble defeat.

* * *

The corporal paced back and forth at his station. A constant throbbing filled his ears, a hum that vibrated his very bones. It stemmed from the massive, glowing fusion generator behind him. Bolts of red energy crackled back and forth over its metal surface and despite the containment unit that it was in, the very air seemed charged with power. The man groaned slightly, and paused in his pacing to crack his neck. He looked at the time display on the wall. His shift would be ending soon, and he was grateful for it. He was on edge about the whole situation, and guarding what should have been a virtually impregnable force field generator certainly wasn't helping his mood.

He pivoted in place, and started to head back the other way, back around to the main corridor of the facility. It was then that he felt it, a subtle pulsing that seemed different' from the generator's vibrations. He double checked his weapon and stared around, wondering what it could have been.

His only warning was the slight rumble that passed through the metal floor before a five meter wide hole erupted from below. The sudden wave of expanding air blew him off of his feet and threw him into the wall with a sickening crack. He slid down it and thudded against the floor, his head lolling about like a child's rag doll.

Through his blurred and red tinted vision, he could see shapes rising up out of the hole in the floor. Fire teased at charts and printouts around the room, and for some reason, his pain addled brain thought of demons rising up from the Nine Hells. He thought he could hear other members of the patrol division sent here. A series of bright lights flashed across his vision.

He saw one of the armored shapes point something at him. There was a flash of light, and then a burst of heat, like a white hot lightning bolt. He didn't feel anything. He found it strange. He'd been hit with something, he knew that. It was supposed to hurt, right? His vision went dark before he could find his answer.

The scrap between the initial defense squadron and the Mandalorian forces had been brief. A few rounds from Jaster's pistols and a grenadier using his overbarrel launcher twice killed them all.

"Keep it together people, there's going to be more of them," Jaster said as he checked the load on his pistols. The ammo counter read at sixty for his left, sixty two for his right. More than enough to keep going.

He saw movement up ahead of his position, followed by a clank.

"Frag out!" one of his commandos shouted.

The Mandalore ducked back behind a corner and hunched down. The grenade exploded with a roar, and he could feel the shrapnel from the weapon bouncing off of his armor. He holstered his left pistol, and reached for a cylindrical device on his chest. He flipped the top off, depressed the arming trigger, and then chucked it around the corner. There were two clanks, followed by the unique sound that metal made when it rolled along the ground.

The shooting around the corner stopped for a moment as the defenders realized what was going on. There was a flash, and Jaster felt an overpressure wave as the thermo grenade went off. The large timber wolf yanked a small mirror out of his belt and glanced around the corner. He could still see the Mobian defenders there. The ones in front lay on the ground, little more than smoldering corpses or piles of ash from the weapon he'd used, but those further back were still there.

They chucked another grenade. It bounced twice and then tumbled down the large hole in the corner of the room. A resounding boom echoed up from inside of it seconds later.

"Boy, raining frag grenades, never thought I'd see the day," the voice of a female Crusader crackled over Jaster's comlink.

"Cut the chatter, forty two, get ready for hard contact," another one said.

"Covering fire!" Jaster shouted.

The Clone that was carrying the heavy repeater came up behind Jaster and stuck it around the corner. A torrent of blaster fire reached his ears as the Cuy'val Dar opened up. He saw the Mobian troops drop back down behind their cover just as the first of his reinforcements exited the hole.

"Move it up, move it up, make room for the next group," the sergeant in charge ordered his squads.

A commando armed with a Karasawe moved up next to Jaster. The silver armored warrior nodded his head and rolled backwards. The Cuy'val Dar had taken his place instantly, pointed his weapon around the corner, and fired. The Mandalore heard the energy backwash as the pulse left the weapon, followed swiftly by the explosion as it hit the fortifications.

There was still a myriad of weapons fire coming form the other end, and Jaster frowned again. The Mobians were proving more stubborn than he had anticipated. The commando fired again, only to drop his weapon moments later as a quintet of blaster bolts struck his arm. The Clone hissed in pain and edged himself backwards from the corner. A medical droid was on him in an instant. Waves of blue light ran over the Cuy'val Dar's body, quickly focusing down on the arm. Chirping to itself, the droid extended one of its many spider-like arms and began to peel the armor off.

Jaster focused himself back on his task. His eyes fell upon the Karasawe, and he crawled forward towards it. He jammed his left pistol around the corner and fired repeatedly. The rounds of the heavy bolter pistol struck a defender who had been popping up to take a quick shot. The Mandalore's mind caught the image like a photograph. He saw the girl flying backwards, the armor of her chest plate boiling away under the power of his gun.

A bolt slammed into the wall near his head, tearing a fist size chunk of metal from it and scattering it all over the room. Metal shards ricocheted off of his helmet as he reached out and ragged the large support weapon towards him. He fired once, and ducked back around the corner. The explosion shook the room, and then the other side fell silent. The wolf looked back over his shoulders to the rest of the squads. More of his troops were pouring up out of the hole and they were running out of cover. It was time to move forward. He looked around with his mirror again. The defending barricades were a mess of slagged metal and cooked bodies. He put the mirror away, and decided to make certain that the rest of the way was clear.

He pulled a small tube out of his belt and flicked the end open. A small insect like object crawled out. It was no bigger than a housefly, but within the small shell was an impressive amount of electronic surveillance and spy equipment.

The small remote droid took to the air, floating away on silent repulsor lifts. With a thought, Jaster brought up a viewing screen on his HUD. The small droid scanned about, showing him a higher view of the small battle zone. He confirmed that everyone was dead, and then sent the probe further into the corridor. He caught a glimpse of movement, more troopers rushing towards the attack. Despite the jamming, it would appear as though the defenders of Station Square were putting two and two together.

He stuck two fingers up into the air, gestured to the different troopers that were present, and directed them to cover. He heard a weighty thunk from behind him. The demo crew had arrived. He nodded towards them, while pointing a heavy weapons crew towards a narrow point of the room. The four Clones moved forward and reached the remnants of the barricade. A pair of tripods were quickly set up, and their partners came in behind them, slinging a large, menacing looking weapon off of their backs.

A shimmering bubble appeared around the soldiers as the weapon powered up. The gunners bent their legs slightly and their fingers caressed the triggers of there support weapons.

"Nearly done setting up the charges, Mandalore, we just need a few more seconds."

"Roger that, keep going." Jaster looked up to the clock ticking away on his HUD. They were moving along quickly, but they had to go faster. Even though the enemy communications were jammed, General D'Coolette was no fool, and knew what they were up to. There would be an army bashing down the door to this place in a matter of minutes.

"Hostiles!" one of the weapon operators shouted.

She opened up on the Mobian troopers. Massive bolts of energy streamed from the heavy gun. A three shot burst caught the point guard before he caught get back behind cover. The bolts punched through his Erado armor suit as if it wasn't even there. Armor went flying in the next few seconds, and cries of surprise could be heard. The defending troops didn't pop back around, and Jaster couldn't blame them.

A rapidly expanding cloud of vapor was all that was left of the poor soldier that had been hit by the tripodal gun.

A trio of grenades clanked off the wall and rolled towards their position. The Neo Crusader soldiers took cover as they went off. One didn't get far enough away, though, and Jaster watched, helplessly, as the Clone caught the full blast of the device. The half slagged armor went flying through the air, hit the ground, and skidded to a halt, its owner's chest half burnt to ash.

"Ready to blow it, get clear!" one of the demo team members said.

There was the thumping of booted feet as the Neo Crusaders beat a hasty retreat away from the power generator devices. Specialized energy disruptors went off a second or two later.

All over the city, with almost machine like coordination, charges went off and the generators went down. The shimmering bubble that protected Station Square began to flicker and fade, before finally disappearing altogether.

Still, the Mandalorian forces that were holding up in the trenches stayed put. Not a single man moved, not a single tank shot forward towards the city. Their aircraft, though, did take off. They rose from the ground and streaked in. Artillery, anti aircraft fire, surface to air missiles, and a fleet of one ninety seven air superiority craft rose to meet them. Dozens of ships fell in the opening seconds, as even their amazing defensive abilities and agility were overwhelmed by the mass of fire that they ran into.

Hundreds more survived, though, and the result was the three dimensional chaos of an aerial dogfight.

Xarga stared at the city with the macro binoculars that were built into his helmet. Plasma bombs and artillery rounds were streaking towards the regions just outside the city, ready to carve his forces to pieces if they dared to emerge from the safety of their trench network.

"Pilots, we need that arty disabled as quickly as possible. We can't get out of here and into the city until you manage to deal with them. Every second you waste is one more second they've got to get ready and try to force the Mandalore and his fellows back down the emergence holes."

"We're moving in now, sir, just tell the ground pounders to sit tight for a second," one of the flight squads responded.

* * *

Tails ducked down as a blast of fire and heat rushed over him. He felt shrapnel ping off of his armor suit, and he looked back over his shoulder. Behind them, still skidding to a halt, were the remains of a one ninety seven fighter. He stared into the shattered cockpit, tried to see if the pilots were still alive, but nothing moved. He prayed they had died on impact.

He felt a second backwash, and a wave of sound that was trying to push him down into his boots. The fox felt himself fall and skid backwards. Looking up, he saw the source of the pressure wave. One of the Mandalorian attack craft, probably the one responsible for the kill, was turning itself around. Try as he might, he couldn't shake the feeling of awe that came over him as he saw the fighter flip around like a graceful dancer, like gravity and atmosphere had no claim over it. It was magnificent.

The engineer inside of himself rose for a moment. What he wouldn't give to have one hour alone with one of those ships…

He snapped back to reality as orders poured in over the radio. They were badly distorted, barely understandable amidst all of the ECM that was flying around, but he understood one sentence perfectly clear.

"They're wiping out our artillery units, brace yourself for ground assault!"

He opened his mouth to speak, but his soldiers, the men and women that he'd been with since his first day in boot camp, were already in position and preparing themselves. Kalzone was behind his barricade, his heavy machine gun ready to go. Others were taking shelter in buildings and at the corners along the road ways.

"Keep your eyes, open, make sure we don't get flanked." Tails kept his voice as calm as he could.

Delta squad was ahead of him. They were dug in facing the opposite direction. They'd noticed the loss of the shield, knew that it meant some kind of sabotage. The enemy was behind them somewhere as well.

A flash. Tails found himself back in the clearing, watching as one of his platoon mate's lungs were ripped from his chest by the force of a proximity thermobaric. He saw members of Tango and Foxtrot slaughtered without mercy.

He shook he his head. Had to focus on the present, or all that would happen again. He looked around, confirmed the position of the rest of the platoon. Everyone was behind cover, and spaced out to prepare for grenade assaults. He noticed that everyone's weapons were also set to the highest available setting. Good, less effort to breach the shell of their adversaries.

"Make sure that our SAMs are primed and ready, I don't want us getting shredded by their air support."

He saw the members of Gamma squad nod their heads. Several of them hefted rocket launchers.

"All units this is perimeter defense, we have enemy movement. Repeat, Neo Crusader forces are on their way. Hope you're dug in." there was a burst of static.

Tails licked his lips. Antoine was doubtless on the horn with combat engineers right now, preparing for the destruction of the outer portions of the city.

* * *

Alpha-0092, sometimes called Tee by her fellows, felt her adrenaline surge as her Raptor streaked towards the city. The door at the rear was open, and she could already see TX-230 'Saber' tanks moving into position beneath them. A cannon on one fired. She couldn't see what the tank crew had been aiming for, but she didn't care at the moment. The female Clone knew they would do their job, she just had to do hers.

The craft thrummed gently, and she knew it was because of the guns of the ship firing and suppressing the enemy positions.

She was nearly thrown from her feet as her craft came to a halt in midair. One of her fellows caught her, and everyone remained upright. Still, something had happened, and she needed to know what.

"Pilot, what the hell…" she began.

"Apologies, Commander, but our intended LZ just got wiped out. They're demolishing their own buildings." The man said.

"Show me."

The images were sent directly to her HUD, and the fox gasped as she saw what was happening. Row after row of skyscrapers were going down, like a gigantic set of dominoes. For a brief second, the thought of 'why' echoed through her mind, before she realized it. They were forming channels.

"All units, we're going in deeper than expected," she said over her regiment's command channel. "The enemy is employing systematic demolition to channel us into narrow areas." She tightened her grip on the bar above her as the pilot jinked left to avoid a barrage of anti aircraft fire and missiles. "Watch for ambushes, snipers, and IEDs. Wait for heavy armor support before moving out of your LZ. Good luck, and goddess-speed."

The channel went silent.

It was ten, long, hellish seconds of defensive fire later that her dropship set down.

"LZ's hot!" the pilot shouted. "I'll keep you covered for as long as possible, but I've got other trips to make, so make it fast."

"Disembark!" Tee shouted.

The Clones' reactions were instantaneous. Assault troopers led the way, charging out with their repeaters. The shield of the Raptor had expanded outward, protecting them as they sought cover among the buildings. Combat drones followed, and Tee smirked at the sight of them. Painted up in urban camouflage, and virtually bristling with weaponry, they were perfect squad support weapons. Their reverse joint legs hissed slightly as they stormed forward, and their 'arms' which were massive rotary guns, swung around to begin targeting the defending soldiers.

Tee came out after that, followed swiftly by the rest of her squad and a trio of floating medical droids. She saw the enemy immediately, a glint of light off a rifle in a far window. Then there was a 'pwhoosh' and two rockets came flying in. They smashed against the Raptor's shielding, flame and smoke billowing outwards. This was followed by firing from a pair of heavy turrets.

The pilot returned fire, blue white beams of energy came from the guns mounted above the cockpit. Tee saw stone and rubble fly outwards, along with bits of molten permacrete.

"Keep moving!" she shouted as she dashed inside of a building.

He troopers were all in place, all safely hidden behind cover. Then and only then did the pilot lift off. A series of neural pulses flashed back and forth across her brain, and a small hologram appeared on the inside of her helmet. It showed the city, and the rough positions of the five hundred troops that were under her command. There was a small countering the bottom corner of the display, above it was the title 'casualty percentage.' It was at zero, now, and Tee was determined that it would stay as close to that as possible.

She motioned to a scout, who tossed a handful of recon drones into the air. The tiny machines scattered into the air and disappeared.

It didn't take them long to locate the enemy troops that were holed up nearby. She took them in, a standard company. With the confidence of a trained soldier, she ordered her troopers into action.

* * *

Antoine D'Coolette felt sweat staining his armored uniform. He paced around the large display in front of him. He could see tiny, mosquito sized fighters weaving about in a deadly dance, while larger ships represented the enemy's transports. Blue and red units were highlighted in various portions of the city. The red pressed closer and closer, seeking to capture the heart.

In all his years, the coyote hand never thought that he would be called on to do something like this. The war against Robotnik almost seemed paltry by comparison.

No, that was wrong. Robotnik had been anything but paltry. He had conquered the world and enslaved billions within hours of his coup. The man had been a devil in every sense of the word. A monster without a heart, who'd murdered men, women, and children without mercy or hesitation.

And those had been the lucky ones.

He heart laughter, light, with a hint of southern charm to it. He saw green eyes, long hair, and a face that made him smile. His beloved… the woman that had had nearly everything taken from her by that monster.

A boy, small, quiet. His face, her eyes.

A growl formed deep within his throat. His father had given his life to try and end Robotnik's reign of terror before it could start, to stop more than a decade of nightmare and sorrow. The coyote's eyes narrowed, became as steel as he realized this was his own stand. For good, or for ill, he would succeed here, or it would all be over.

"One-oh-Eight Division, send Rapier and Targe battalions to reinforce the manufacturing districts," he barked into his communicator. "Make certain they don't take the landing bays, or they'll turn them into drop points."

"Understood, Sir."

"One Fifty, Eighty Eight, and Forty Second, I want all of you to head towards the power generator areas," he continued.

"Sir?" a voice crackled back over the comlink.

"We lost the shields' somehow, and we can't raise the defenders there. Pilots, however, are reporting signs of small arms fire and explosions. Obviously, the bastards managed to tunnel down here somehow. Now get down there and plug those holes!" He turned his attention back to the holo map.

He studied it for a few more seconds, pausing and rubbing his muzzle.

"Cobra Brigade, tighten up fire on the eastward side of the city, they're starting to slip through the barrage."

"We're trying our best, General, but those damn ships of their's are picking us off." As the artillery commander spoke, there was a flare, and a battery group disappeared. "Anti-aircraft fire's not as effective as we'd expected, they're just too agile."

It was the truth. His own ships were being swatted from the sky, despite numerical superiority. They weren't going down without a fight though, as the Ravagers were fading from the display screen.

"All armor divisions, stand by and prepare to repel enemy tank assaults, watch for APCs as well." He crossed his arms over his chest. "Seventh Panzers, heads up, they're going to hit you first, followed by the Ninth on the west side," he said.

"Affirmative, Sir," the tank commanders radioed back in.

* * *

"_Enemy troops are receiving reinforcements and the Industrial bays and in the secondary residential districts_." Jaster's mind translated what he'd heard. The voice on the other end was a Clone communications officer, born and bred for his task of keeping every commander informed of the situation of the battlefield. "_We're also detecting enemy movements towards you and the other entrance holes. Your orders?" _

"_Send additional troops to aid the men and women in the industrial center, and have our Sabers start making feigning attacks along the northern edge of the city to try and draw some of their tanks away_." The silver armored warrior did not speak those exact words, as they could be intercepted. Instead, it was a carefully designed dual code, key words and catch phrases, spoken in Mando'a. The result was a code that would be nearly impossible to crack in a day and age where the Mandalorian tongue was virtually extinct.

"Right away, Sir."

Jaster was forced to admit, General D'Coolette was proving to be a most worthy foe. True, these were but the opening moves of a much longer chess game, but the opening moves were almost always what set the course for the remainder of the battle. In reinforcing the those areas, Antione had let the Mandalore know that he wasn't a fool, and knew how to prioritize his defenses.

"Picking up movement towards your position, Sir."

"Step it up back there, this is not a tea party and you are not being invited to the good lady's ball!" the timber wolf shouted over his shoulder.

Another thermal detonator went sailing past him, and clanked just outside the door to the power plant. It went off, and another layer of permacrete was turned into so much molten junk. Still, Jaster doubted that too many Royal Army soldiers had just been killed. They had learned to keep their distance.

He tapped into another recon droid. It showed him the view outside. Soldiers were taking positions, setting up heavy weaponry, and deploying their own much larger reconnaissance machines. Fighting their way out of here was going to be harder than he had originally expected. Still, when the enemy showed unexpected resistance, superior firepower was always the route to take.

"Units twenty four-ten and four eleven, advance and begin attack protocol Omega."

The two machines beeped an affirmative, before they stomped forward. The Mandalore heard their weapons powering up, and smiled.

The Mobian soldiers readied themselves as they heard the machines approach. But there was only so much preparation one could make against an SD-10 combat droid.

The machines cut a swath of destruction through the buildings as their laser cannons revved up and began to hose the area with large amounts of energy fire. Stones was shattered and slagged, while smoke from vaporized metal obscured the visible spectrum and forced the drone to switch to infrared and short band frequencies.

The defenders fought back valiantly, and the drones took damage, despite seeking cover and performing evasion maneuvers. One took a hit in the leg, and the primary motivator was damaged. The thing slumped, but it continued to fire while its self repair systems went to work. Jaster knew it was finished, though. The nanites that it stored wouldn't' be able to fix it before the Royal Army soldiers turned their heavy weapons on it.

He was correct, and a murderous hail of Lex heavy machine gun fire tore the battle droid apart. It exploded as its power packs detonated, sending flaming fragments of itself flying all directions, and leaving a three meter deep crater in the ground.

Its companion continued to fight on, though. Small, anti infantry rockets blasted from specialized launchers located near the top of the arms, while its twin rotaries destroyed the cover that the defenders had been making use of.

He had the drone scan around again. No sign of tanks, but he could see an AFV rushing up to the scene.

"Four Eleven, pull back inside, you're about to get more than you can handle," he said, and then motioned back to the heavy anti armor troopers behind him. No other words were needed. They moved forward swiftly, their rocket launchers, which were nearly half their size, promised a nasty surprise for the crew of the armored vehicle.

He watched them as they made their way forward. As the quartet approached the destroyed entrance to the power production facility, they knelt down and began to slither forward on their bellies. The front two nodded to each other, and then the foremost one dove out. A co-axle gun on the AFV tracked the movement and opened fired. Pulses of green energy slashed through the air. Debris kicked up as the beams exploded against the far wall, but the Neo Crusader's heavy armor shell protected him against the otherwise lethal flying debris. He stuck his weapon out just as two other ones did, and three high density warheads shot towards the Mobian vehicle. They smashed into it in rapid succession. The first two destroyed the armor of the vehicle, while the final one penetrated the crew compartment.

Flames blew the hatch off the top of the AFV, effectively killing it.

"We've got more cover, boys and girls, prepare to move out." He opened his private channel again. _"Com, any sign of arty?" _

"_Negative, Mandalore, our fighters have shut most of them up."_

"_Have them stand by and prepare to give combined arms support." _

"_Roger that, sir."_

More combat drones began to move out from the shattered entrance, assisted by more swiftly moving assault troopers. Shots of automatic blaster fire went back and forth between the two sides. Screams erupted as the beams and pulses connected with one another. A buster rocket joined the fray, followed by a barrage of Jurkadir grenades as the grenadiers moved out. The armored warhead smashed through a transparasteel window and exploded inside. Jaster wasn't certain how many died, but he would have reckoned that anyone who hadn't had his or her suit sealed was now worm food.

A fuel air explosive in a tightly enclosed space was a nasty combination.

"No sign of enemy contact, switching to short band frequencies," one of the assault troopers said. He remained silent for a few seconds. "Targets confirmed, place them at roughly one and a half squads. They aren't' doing anything right now. Orders?"

"Leave them, but post a guard to make certain they don't try anything. Right now, we've got to get moving," Jaster said. "We've got an appointment with city hall, I would hate for the councilors to think us anything if not timely."

As they moved out, Jaster pulled up his battlefield map again. A smile crossed his face. Slowly but surely, the men and women under his command were pressing towards the center of the city. Though his fighter craft were not yet in complete control of the skies, they were slowly getting there. The Mobian pilots were skilled, and certainly brave, as were all of their forces.

But they were facing enemies who had literally been born for this moment.

Despite that, and the firepower disparity between the two forces, General D'Coolette was using his one advantage, numerical superiority, to keep most of his forces contained. He also wasn't taking the bait regarding the Saber tanks' feigns, keeping his own armor stubbornly dug in. He'd lose one or two, due to the fact that they were outgunned by their opponents, but they would never attempt to follow.

The man was good. Jaster's respect for him was growing by the minute.

* * *

Tails saw them coming, sighted up, and opened fire. The Mandalorians swiftly returned the favor, and he ducked down behind his barricade as bolter fire took head sized chunks out of the stone and metal and turned it into so much molten material. The two tailed fox growled and sent a probe droid into the air. The tiny, spherical probe moved around and let him know exactly what they were up to.

He saw the heavy machines, and knew the danger that they posed. He looked over his shoulder, to the tank that they had.

"Corporal," he said as he opened up a comline, "I need you to move forward and let that platoon have it. Everything you've got!"

"Understood, Sir." The tank commander replied.

The seventy ton war machine moved forward. The air around the defenders shuddered as the main cannon fired, followed by a barrage of coaxle gun fire. The Mandalorians scattered, but not before one of the war droids was smashed to wreckage and part of a fire team obliterated by the main cannon shot some of the Mandalorian soldiers sent Stingers into the air as they took cover.

Tails saw the missiles streak up into the air, and rapidly reach the zenith of their deadly arc.

"Take cover!" he shouted as he dove into a building through the open doorway.

Five explosions rocked the intersection that they'd been stationed at. As it had during his first encounter with the Neo Crusaders, his radiation gauge spiked and screeched out a warning to him. Cautiously, he stuck his head out.

Heat waves rose from the tarmac, and parts of it glowed with heat, but the tank remained. It was battered slightly, and one of its coaxle guns melted to ruin, but it still stood there, defiant. Another shot from its cannon ripped apart the first floor of a building where some of the Clones had been taking cover. The droid observing the battle reported two of the genetically engineered soldiers had been killed by the attack, with maybe another three wounded.

"Pull it back a little, you're not any good to us dead," Tails ordered the tank.

The damaged machine began to pull back as the platoon commander rose up and fired out of a window. His shots connected with a Neo crusader that had been pinning down part of Gamma Squad. The three shot burst knocked the soldier down and caused the armor to glow white hot, but the trooper was still in the fight. He leveled his weapon and retaliated. Tails ducked down as the purple tinted bolts smashed into his cover and ripped it apart.

"Time to move," he hissed as he threw himself to one side.

"Beta Squad, watch yourself, they're trying to flank!" he heard Mina shout.

Tails heard the tank's remaining coaxle gun go to work on the enemy, joined a couple of seconds later by the loud booming of Kalzone's weapon. Energy bolts crisscrossed from two sides of the intersection. Two men from Gamma squad cried out as Jurkadir rifle's blasted through their armor and killed the instantly.

"Command, this is Foxtrot platoon, we are being flanked, requesting support." He called into the comman channel.

"Artilery is not available, Foxtrot, but hang in there, we've got a one seventy inbound on your position." A woman on the other end told him.

"They're flanking on the other end to!" Carmine warned.

"Hang on, I've got it covered," the tank commander said.

The platoon commander rose back up, and lobbed a grenade out of a hole in the wall. It bounced across the street and rolled up next to a Clone. The soldier saw it and tried to dive out of the way, but the thermal detonator caught him in mid leap. Tails saw the soldier spot him as his lower half was vaporized. The warrior still had some life in him, and against all odds, raised his weapon.

The fox felt to things happen then. The first was a punch to the chest, followed by him flying backwards, the second was a feeling of his arm being seared. He opened his mouth to scream, but could not find the air to do so. There was a crack, and stars were dancing in front of his eyes. Blackness threatened to overwhelm him as he stared down at his arm. The shoulder pauldron glowed as it tried to radiate and dispose of the heat from the shot.

The battle suddenly seemed so far away. He could faintly hear the sounds of Carmine and Mina calling out targets and firing their weapons. The sound of Terry's repeater going full auto. He drew a wet, ragged breath as he tried to rise up and get back into the action. Everything seemed blurry, distorted. Sounds didn't 'sound' right. Everything seemed to move so slowly.

There was a flash of light, he thought he could faintly see a black streak come down at the far end of the street. The air strike he'd called in. Two missiles followed it, streaking by. He saw a second flash, followed by a large vibration in the ground. Metal felt and landed out in the street. He saw what was unmistakably part of a tank turret rolled past his position. Grenades from both sides flew back and forth. His squads opened up on full auto as everything finally seemed to come back into focus.

"Hold them off, where the hell is that forth repeater?"

"Johnson's gone, the tank shrapnel gutted him."

"Prepare to fall back, there's a gunship inbound."

"Anyone seen the Corporal?"

The young fox fired his rifle blindly, squeezed his eyes shut and tried to block out the pain the surged through his arm. Pain the likes of which he hadn't felt since his youth, since Norrack had tried to burn him alive.

He felt an arm around him, lifting him up.

"Got you." It was Carmine. Pulling him back, pulling him out. "I've got him, now lay down cover fire, and get out of here before they can envelope us!"

Pulling back? The air strike hadn't taken care of the enemy? His conscious mind was finally coming back, finally getting enough oxygen to it to think straight.

"Status report?" He asked, coughing a few times as Carmine helped him out of the building.

"We've lost fifteen soldiers, our tank's gone, we're about to get surrounded, and I've called in a Broken Arrow. It's about to get really hot here."

The fox nodded and looked around past the tank. Kalzone and his comrade were laying down a healthy amount of suppressive fire in all directions, aided by the heavy weapons operators of each squad. He waited for a single beat of his heart, and then dashed from cover, firing over at the areas he knew the enemy occupied. Bolts exploded against the tank, but he and Carmine cleared the killzone unscathed. Kalzone and the other heavy weapons operators made a break for it after them. The Mandalorians held back, though.

Two gun ships streaked in after that. Missiles went into the buildings and beams scythed through the area. Rubble fell form the sky and smashed into the tarmac, sending stone and metal fragments arcing through the air.

"Fall back to the next defensive position, we'll reinforce the squads there." Tails ordered.

The platoon moved to obey, trying to put as much distance as they could between them in and the troops behind them. Radio chattered filtered in. The Neo Crusaders were penetrating the outer defenses all over the city. Despite being outnumbered by more than seven to one, they were slowly, inevitably pushing towards the center of the city.

Tails had a very bad feeling about how this was going to end.

* * *

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Okay, hope those twenty pages weren't as bad as I think they were. At any rate, as always, thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any comments, from constructive criticism to ideas to flames, patch em on through and let me know about them. 

As always, best of luck to everyone in whatever life may bring you, and stay safe out there.


	21. Divide and Conquer

Hello again folks. Sorry about the delays, but summer school is killing me, as I've got books to read, reports to write, and I need to rest my wrist after that 100 question exam I had on Friday. That, and I admit to going and treating myself to the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie, though I now have the theme song stuck in my head, and I have an inexplicable urge to make wisecracks regarding fermented molasses.

As always, I want to thank everyone who's read the story, and I hope that I haven't put you off the Sonic franchise. To those of you who reviewed, I hope that I responded adequately, and thank you so much for all the help that you've given me.

Lawyers: see the previous twenty odd chapters. I grow weary of these disclaimers.

* * *

&

* * *

Divide and Conquer

They came in slowly, rifles and weapons pointing all around. They had seen something, something that definitely hadn't been in their briefing. A location had been called in, and a report that they were moving after the anomaly.

Operating on hand signals, they moved down into the alleyway. It was here, somewhere, whatever it had been.

The patrol stopped, and looked around again. Where had it gone?

The patrol leader suddenly flew backwards into the building on the left. A crack resounded through the alleyway and he slid to the ground. With a groan, he lifted his head, tried to call in a status report, but found his comlink jammed. Instinctively, he ordered his squad to move out. It was too late though. Blue fire rained down from a concealed position. Twenty shots in less than a second struck the group. Two dropped instantly, their nervous systems overwhelmed by the stunning rounds.

The commander's mind digested that strange tidbit as he saw the blurred form at the top of one of the buildings.

"Eleven o'clock high!" one of his men shouted, level his weapon and firing off a grenade.

He knew that form, and prayed they weren't already dead.

It jumped off the building, flipping around as it fired down at them. They sought cover, but those who were not fast enough fell. Five were gone from the fight. The blurred soldier landed, and a humming sound reached the commander's ears. He fired his rifle at the center mass. The humming sound came again, and he saw his shots go flying away. Parts of the alleyway exploded as head-sized chunks of material were vaporized and torn off.

One of his comrades fired a Buster rocket at the target, but some unseen force pushed it aside. It exploded, and fire and shrapnel filled the air, followed by the sucking of vacuum. None of it seemed to harm the demon that stood in front of them, though. It retaliated with more blue pulses, and a soldier that had been taking cover behind a stone stairwell fell just as he popped up, as if his opponent had known what was going to happen. The shimmering wraith blasted forward then, reaching the commander in less than a second. Fast as he was, he still had no time to react as it kneed him in the gut. He felt his lungs try to collapse from the force of the blow, felt his ribs crack and he fought the urge to vomit. Not that it mattered. He was dead now.

A roundhouse planted him into the side of the building, and his gun bounced away out of his reach. Through eyes blurred with tears of pain, the wolverine watched as he squad was gunned down. Another soldier took a barrage of the blue stunning rounds and collapsed like a sack of bricks. The team radioman, still desperately trying to call in what was happening, to burn through the jamming, was lifted up into the air by an unseen force and then violently slammed downwards. He was still coherent, and attempted to shoot his assailant, but he wasn't fast enough. Nothing could match the devil's speed.

"Get up!" the patrol leader hissed to himself. "Get up!"

He couldn't find the strength, but he remembered his pistol. The small sidearm packed a mighty punch, enough to blow a basketball sized hole in the chest of an unarmored person. He drew it, and leveled the weapon.

Sonic felt a mild tingling sensation as his shields took a shot from the weapon. A substantially larger push came a moment later as a Jurkardir rifle burst caught him in the back. His defenses held, though, already attempting to recharge. He fired off another stunner round barrage, dropping a partially concealed Neo Crusader where she stood. He flipped one of his energy blades over his back a second later, and caught the second burst, supersonic bolter rounds flying back and exploding next to the soldier who had fired at him.

He spun around and fired again, a five shot burst that caught the Neo Crusader dead in the face. He rushed towards the nearest wall as bolts zipped past him, superheating the air. One foot in front of the other, he started up. There was a certain exhilaration to doing this, something that made his heart soar despite everything. For one single second, right before he could feel gravity's pull upon him, he felt just like he had, before everything had gone so horribly wrong in his life. For a moment, he was eighteen again. For a moment, he still had his original arms and legs. For a moment, no haunting memories or screams of dying Mobians met his ears.

The moment passed as he pushed off of the wall. He arced over backwards, and lined his vision up with the nearest trooper. The Clone attempted to dive back behind cover, and almost made it. For all her speed, though, she couldn't match a creature born and bred to be the fastest thing on Mobius. She went down silently, no cry leaving her lips.

Just two left, then. The patrol commander, still firing futilely with his pistol, and a grenadier. The latter soldier took a chance, and two forty millimeter projectiles sped towards the ARC trooper. Sonic's mind warned him, and he twisted out of the way just as they would have impacted. Some seconds after the supersonic crack of their passing, he faintly heard an explosion.

He lashed out at the Clone, knocking him from his feet and following it up with another barrage of energy caster fire. Now only the leader remained. The hedgehog twisted and pounced like a hunting cat upon its prey. Another kick sent the pistol flying, and he made haste to disable the man before he could activate his armor's self destruct systems. Three cracks rang out, three energy pulses at point blank range. The patrol leader's head clunked against his armored chestplate.

Sonic looked around for a moment, and briefly admired his handiwork.

"Green to move in," he said, opening up a private comm. line.

A manhole lid popped up, and a dozen Neo Crusaders popped out. They rushed forward, grabbed the bodies of the fallen, and carried them back. The whole place was clean of life in less than fifteen seconds. The ARC trooper nodded his head in approval and he rushed down to join them. He'd just closed the lid back over himself when a burst of communications echoed through his helmet.

"They're breaking through the second line up here, we need armor support!"

"Armor support in route, Sergeant, hang on."

"We're losing our grip on the manufacturing district, there's too many of those ships coming in, and we can't knock enough down."

"Fierfek! Artillery here, Battalion Twelve is down to thirty percent, I repeat thirty percent. Those Ravagers are murdering us, where the hell's our top cover?"

"Trying to stay alive. Air Force casualties approaching fifty seven percent."

So it went. The cybernetic hedgehog's arms trembled, and he fought the urge to plant his fist into the wall to vent his frustration. He called up a map of the battlefield. Almost half of Station Square was under Neo Crusader control now. Antoine was coordinating his defenses well, but Jaster's troops were better trained, his tanks faster and more powerful, his aircraft shielded and capable of running rings around the best the defenders could field.

"Omega, are you in position?" he asked.

"Yes Sir," Shysa's voice answered. "Moving in and preparing to set off stun grenades. I just hope we brought enough."

"Once you've gotten another platoon, take them all back to the transports and prepare to get out of here. Leave one grounded just in case Antoine and the rest of the command staff can't get away in time. We can't afford to lose him."

_I can't afford to lose another friend_, he silently added.

"What about you, Sir?" he could feel the concern present in the Cuy'val Dar's voice. Again, he felt like he was back at Knothole.

He shook the feeling off. There was a time and a place for nostalgia, and it wasn't here or now. His heart clenched, as he remembered the war that raged above him. "I'm heading towards the center of the city. I'm still trying to find my brother."

"Understood, Sir."

He left the other Clones to ferry their unconscious fellows back to where they'd stashed their vehicles. The loss of the power generators had enabled them to slip the transport units in here, as their jamming systems were more than a match for the older backup defenses.

At the coast, nearly three hundred clicks away was a small armada of LAAT gunships, specially modified to carry larger vehicles. They'd ferry them home.

A bitter taste filled the hedgehog's mouth as he rushed down sewer ways. He could hear the rumbling up ahead as a Saber's repulsor lifts pushed against the tarmac. Faster, faster, had to move faster. Time was running out. It was only a matter of time before the battle was lost. He had to try and find Tails, had to make sure he was safe. Tails and Antoine. Nothing else mattered except for those two.

It was about two minutes later when Shysa reported back in.

"Objective complete, Sir. Heading back to the transports and then we'll take the last one up towards the GHQ."

"Any casualties?" he asked. Did he dare to hope that they'd defied the odds again?

"Our armor got a little scuffed, but nothing serious. They were expecting something, though." The husky sounded a little discouraged.

"Your siblings are smart." It made sense. Lose contact with a squad here, a platoon there. Send someone to investigate, find nothing but a shattered alleyway or plaza, and no bodies. "Stay low, and make sure you stay patched into the network."

"You really must thank the princess for us, Sir," Shysa's voice had a strange, joking tone to it. "I really didn't feel like trying to hack my way into the defense network. It would have been a pain in the neck without the codes."

"Try to stay alive so you can thank her yourself. That's an order." He turned down another tunnel. The sewer above him suddenly shook, and a few small bits of permacrete dinked off of his shields. Something big just hit nearby.

Shysa said nothing, but he knew that she understood his command. He kept monitoring the Royal Army channels. Tails' platoon was up there somewhere.

He would find his brother, and the Goddess have mercy on anything that stood in his way.

* * *

"Keep your heads down!" the two tailed fox shouted as he saw the flash.

The squad dropped to their bellies as the missile streaked in. It smashed into the side of a building, penetrated, and then exploded. Stone, metal, and transparsteel fell everywhere, sending soldiers left and right running for cover, lest they be crushed. Several hit the tanks that were stationed there, but they weathered the storm. Two of them fired downrange, and more rubble and debris flew into the air. Energy pulses streaked by, smashing into them as a Mandalorian Saber tank rushed in to try to take them out.

The tank was shaped like all Neo Crusader craft. Sleek, low to the ground, full of jagged angles, and bristling with weaponry. It fired again, and a pair of missiles launched from the tubes located near its base. The main cannon's purple beam of energy hit one of the tanks.

Tails saw half a meter's worth of plated, reactive armor crumple from the physical impact, before it heated white hot and started to boil away under the fury of the blast. The twin missiles connected half a second after the beam faded away. He ducked down instinctively as the tank's turret exploded. Any cries he might have heard were drowned out by the rumble of the blast.

Whiteness filled his vision as more Stinger missiles rained down. The infantry was closing on them, fast. He had to do something, had to get his squad out of here. Had to fight back too. He couldn't let this, his second battle, go to these unfeeling machines without a fight. Sonic wouldn't do that. Aunt Sally wouldn't do that. Aunt Bunnie, his father, and the countless others who fallen trying to kill Robotnik wouldn't do it.

Neither would he.

"Field of fire, vector two zero!" he shouted over the comlink as he stared at his recon drone's feed. Mina, Carmine, and Joshua gave their affirmatives, and popped up slightly.

Grenades, repeater fire, and blaster bolts all filled the street. Fire a burst, drop down, move, fire again. It all rapidly became a repeating cycle. Three soldiers to try to shoot at a single Neo Crusader, to try and breach that murderously tough shell that it wore and kill the living machine inside of it. Above all, he remembered Derrick's training, and fought the urge to shoot at that tank and stop its rampage. It was well inside the range of his Lancer rifle, but compared to the thick neo-steel hull that it was encased in, his blaster might as well be a child's squirt gun.

A missile streaked downrange from the platoon's heavy weapon squad. The large rocket hit the tank, and exploded. Bits of armor went flying to and fro, but even before the smoke cleared, the fox could tell that the armored behemoth was still active. Its coaxle weapons opened fire, ripping holes all out of the area, while its cannon fired again. Their own tank tried to maneuver out of the way, and partially succeeded. The cannon strike ripped off the left side repulsor lifts and the tank hit the ground and streaked along, tearing up pavement.

One more shot came from its gun, and then the hatch popped off. The crew leaped out, abandoning the vehicle. The Saber didn't let them escape. Its mounted machine guns cut the crew down as they fled to cover, while another pair of missiles streaked in to where Tails' heavy weapons squad was taking shelter. Fire and smoke belched out of the hole that it had made, and it sounded as if the world was ending.

A shriek, a one ninety seven passing over them, its heavy cannons scoring direct hits upon the armored attack vehicle. Armor was blasted off or melted, but the tank remained operational, and it was moving towards them with infantry support. Its small guns turning and targeting any Mobian who dared to raise his head. Neo Crusader grenade and Buster rocket fire filled the air, and a dozen fireballs erupted from around them.

Tails heard a scream echo over his comm. and he looked around to see one of the Beta Squad troops lying on the ground. The man's arm had been ripped off, and a portion of his chest armor was dented in and glowing.

"Sniper!" he called out, ducking down. "Mina?"

"On it," the mongoose replied. She slug out her sniper rifle, and scanned upwards.

Sure enough, almost five hundred feet off of the ground, she saw a Neo Crusader. The Clone's rifle was angled downward, ready to find another target. She squinted and sighted the foe up, only to see the rifle shift. She gasped and leapt away as an invisible bolt smashed into the pavement beside her, sending bits of rock flying and making several noticeable dings in her gray armor.

She fired upwards a couple of times, just trying to thrown the genetically engineered solider off balance. It fired again, and this time it was a Delta that dropped to the ground, a steaming stump all that was left of his head.

"Somebody take that fraker out!" Joshua yelled as he stuck his rifle up over his cover and fired in the direction of the Mandalorian forces.

A crack came from Tails' rifle as he planted his electronic crosshairs right on the center of the enemy. He fired a burst, watched the bolts connect, and the trooper fly backwards. The Neo Crusader slumped out of sight, and didn't rise, but the two tailed fox was pretty certain that he was only down, not out. He hadn't breached enough of the armor to kill it.

A shockwave rattled the area as a Stinger came down and blew out the transparasteel windows of the entire block. He felt debris gong everywhere, and several members of the platoon were nearly buried under chunks of buildings.

The Saber tank fired again, but down another street. Even from here, the young fox was able to hear the sounds of the men and women screaming as they were vaporized by the intensity of the shot. He shuddered, and called for heavy weapons fire. More rockets streaked towards the thing. Hit after hit connected, and finally, it went dead, slamming into the ground and skidding forward a few meters before coming to a halt.

He double checked his surveillance droid. Kalzone and the rest of the repeater carriers were keeping the Mandalorian troops suppressed with a healthy volume of fire, so he kept his sights trained on the lid of the tank.

"Come on, come on," he whispered to himself. "Stick your head out."

The lid popped off of the armored behemoth, and he tensed, his finger going tight around the trigger to his weapon. A wrist popped up, he had to resist the urge to shoot then and try to blow it off, to try to let the Clone know some of the pain he'd been watching all day.

There was a whoosh as a Buster rocket took to the air. He fired instinctively. By luck, he hit the anti personnel weapon while it was still in midair, and the device went off. The explosion wasn't as spectacular as he'd expected, but it was close enough to singe the hand that had launched it. The Clone yanked its arm back down beneath the lip of the tank. Tails smiled.

His smile was short lived though.

"Command, this is Cobra Brigade, requesting permission to pull back before we're annihilated!" he heard what sounded like an artillery strike hit nearby. The Neo Crusaders were bringing their pieces closer to the battle zone to supplement close air support.

He frowned. Cobra Brigade was holding the line next to them, the first of their forces starting about three blocks down. If they pulled back, he'd have to order a similar withdrawal. Otherwise, they'd be in danger of being cut off and flanked.

A second shudder went up his spine. He didn't know if Neo Crusaders took prisoners, and he was in no mood to find out. Aunt Sally had never spoken much about what had happened during her short time with them, but judging by the way she'd change the subject every time it had been brought up, it couldn't have been pleasant.

"Everyone grab our wounded and prepare to fall back," he said as calmly as he could, while sticking his rifle out and throwing down automatic fire. "Command, requesting air support to block these guys off, they're starting to take to the roofs to begin sniping at us."

"We roger that, we've been getting reports of it from other units as well. Air support in unavailable though. We've lost too many of our fighters, and the few we've got left are in the process of trying to take out the Neo Crusader's artillery." The voice on the other end of the line informed him.

Tails bit back a growl of frustration and swore under his breath. He looked around. The Neo Crusaders were already sending their forces around to fill the gap that Cobra's units were leaving.

"Sweet mother of the Goddess!" he heard someone curse over the command channel. "Everyone, stay out of the plazas, they're sticking Ravagers down in the things and ripping us apart with 'em."

"Roger that, we'll keep our heads low." Tails said, before motioning to the rest of the squad. "Covering fire, prepare to fall back!"

They were off a few moments later leaving pulses of energy behind them.

* * *

Antoine stared down at the holo map before him and felt despair welling up inside of him. The Neo Crusaders were everywhere. More than fifty percent of the city belonged to them, and he knew that his defenses would not be able to hold out for much longer. The tanks under his command were almost gone, and the Ravagers had complete air superiority. The few pilots that were left were dodging and dancing about, trying to stay alive.

Even as he watched, one of them was reduced to a fireball as its opponent proved to be the better warrior.

Casualties were climbing higher and higher every second. Sectors were falling into enemy hands. The General saw a path before him. A path with a fork in it. Both were shrouded in darkness and he could see nothing of what lay along their trails.

To stay. To Flee. Could they hold? Could the military somehow muster a final second wind to try to throw the Neo Crusaders back? An artillery shot came in, and it landed within the heart of an industrial parks. Three tanks and a platoon of infantry disappeared in a flash.

To withdraw from this region would mean conceding most of Southern Mobius to Shadow's forces. Station Square was a central hub for transportation, communication, and logistics. If it fell, then all they had fought against, all they had tried to hold back, would be for nothing.

The clock was ticking. Another tank battalion was overrun in the southern sectors. Their infantry support cut to ribbons shortly thereafter. Calls for support were being turned down, as there weren't enough air, armor, or artillery assets left to manage the burden.

The coyote sucked in a breath, and then made the hardest call of his life.

"Priority command, all troops prepare to retreat," he closed his eyes, fought he urge to weep. "Soldiers to their evac stations, I want LAATs in position and ready to carry them out of here. Scramble civilians as well, as many as you can get." They had set aside some ships this purpose, just in case. Most had been destroyed, but there were still a few left. "Go, go!"

The die had been cast, the Rubicon crossed. No turning back. There would be another opportunity. The cold logical part of his mind processed the information. The Mandalorians would need time to consolidate their forces and get their winnings under control. That time could be used to further defensive fortifications and ready more troops.

"Forgive me, father." He whispered as he returned his attention to the holo map. Soldiers were pulling back from all positions, and the Mandalorians were slowly advancing. More troops fell as they tried to run. The predators were closing in for the kill.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, and looked over to see Derrick. The Death Watchman was silent, clad in his armor, all of his weapons prepped and ready. Colonel Alexi was next to him, a sober look on his face.

"Sir, it's time for you to go," Derrick said as he brought his Charric up.

"I leave when my men leave." The General narrowed his eyes, frozen over with ice.

"Then may I respectfully request permission to lead a volunteer group to try and hold the entrance?" the artic fox asked.

"Request denied, Master Sergeant. You'll be needed back in Mobotropolis." Antoine said, shaking his head.

"You'll be needed more, Sir. Someone has to lead the troops." His tone was calm, peaceful, almost.

Antoine let out an aggravated sigh, and tried to think of a means by which he could stall. Much as he hated to admit it, the Mandalorian was right. Most of the training sessions that he'd been through had been recorded, and much of the necessary information downloaded out of his electronic mind. The need for him was not so great as it once was.

"Very well. A platoon of volunteers, to hold out long enough for the council to escape." He bowed his head again, his hair falling down out of place.

"And yourself as well, Sir?" Derrick cocked his head to the left.

"Awfully worried about me, aren't you?" Antoine asked as he watched untold thousands of people fleeing to aircraft in a desperate bid to get some distance between them and the Neo Crusader Juggernaut that was sweeping into the city from all sides.

"A commander can rally his troops to fight again," he said. "You've lost this battle. But wars are not won in a day."

"Fall back, hit them again while their still trying to maintain their hold here…" he rubbed his chin. "It just might work." He sighed and looked around the command room. The communications officers were still calling out orders and evacuation codes, directing the men and women on the ground to areas where it was still safe to retreat to.

He closed his eyes for a moment, and then looked about one more time.

"I will return here."

The two men next to him nodded, and then went their separate ways.

The coyote frowned and tapped his foot for a moment, before turning to a lieutenant and pulling him aside.

"Get me a demo team down here, and have them wire this place up. Get people on the rest of the defense grid. Have them send the authorization codes to my PDA," he said, his tone brisk, short.

"Sir?"

"I will not leave Station Square's defenses and military power supply stations intact for the Clones to just waltz in and use," he growled, his eyes narrowed and cold. "Now hurry up, we're running out of time.

"Yes sir!" the man saluted, and then hustled over to a command station.

* * *

"Come on, move it!" the Corporal shouted, shoving another soldier forward. "The hospital's three blocks ahead. We make it there, and we get out of this SNAFU."

"Provided the sky jockeys can come through on their end, you mean."

"Carmine, shut up for five seconds, that's an order!" Tails said as he ducked behind cover.

A tank roared past them, all of its weapons blazing. The Neo Crusaders returned fire and a pair of anti-armor missiles blasted the craft. Belching smoke and flames, it continued to shoot back, tearing pieces of buildings down, sending vaporized materials expanding outwards and rendering the battlefield visibility to zero.

A third one hit the tank right in its turret. The reactive armor of the vehicle failed, and seventy tons worth of metal rendered useless as its main gun went flying off, taking half the crew with it.

Tails kept on running, rounding the corner. He heard another explosion a few seconds later, and said a small prayer for the brave men and women who'd just died for them.

There was nothing more that could be done, though, there was only retreat. Retreat, and hope to the Goddess they didn't get a bolter round in the back. He was somewhat grateful for where they were though. Mines of both the anti-vehicular and anti-infantry variety were covering these areas, making it harder for the invaders to traverse. While the Neo Crusaders themselves weren't impeded by the mines, due to their jetpacks, their vehicles had to find alternate routes, expose themselves to countermeasures. Still, they weren't home free yet.

He glanced up at his motion sensor. There was nothing near them that was hostile. Couldn't stop, though. The hospital was fifteen stories up in the air, and the two tailed fox knew better than to hope for a working elevator. The Neo Crusaders would hold an edge on his troops in stamina. They could still catch up.

He caught a flash of motion on his sensor, and then a burst of static came from his visor. He realized that his drone had just been blown out of the sky.

"Time to go," he said as he fired back over his shoulder.

* * *

He could sense him, he was close. He felt no pain, physically. There was war weariness, a pain in the mind, from the loss of fellow troops no doubt, but the boy himself was okay.

Sonic gripped his weapon and forced himself to move faster. He hung a right down one of the service tunnels and ran up along the sides for almost thirty feet before momentum and gravity demanded that he return to the ground. The ground above his head rumbled again. He figured it an air strike, but he didn't know who was attacking whom. The radio signals that he'd hacked into were telling him that the Royal Army was on full retreat. It wouldn't be long now before his other brother owned this city, and shortly after it, half the world.

Rage flared up inside the cybernetic hedgehog. His failures had brought this on. His failure ten years ago that had gotten him crippled in the first place. His failure to find a way to stop Shadow.

His failure to warn Sally and everyone else about this frak-storm years ago.

He was a born soldier, he should have realized that it would be impossible for him to do it alone. For one man to be able to make war against a machine the likes of which his brother had created. Should have realized that his sibling wasn't stupid, and would only have risked revealing himself to a wildcard after his position was strong and entrenched.

He snarled and shook his head as he made another turn. There was only one thing to do, now. Learn and move on. He couldn't let his fears hold him back anymore.

* * *

"Come on, move, move, they're right on our tails!" the Corporal shouted as they busted up onto the roof of the hospital. He scanned about. No ride. "Command, where the hell is our ticket out of here?"

"In route, Corporal, it's dodging Ravagers left and right." The voice at the other end said. "ETA is about ninety seconds."

"Fierfek," he muttered. "Take cover positions, now!" he gestured to the ventilation ducts and rises. The remaining members of the platoon moved out.

The two tailed fox grimaced. He had twenty five people left out of his group. Five of them were wounded. Two missing arms, three of them legs. Those ones we stashed carefully and told to stay down. He looked over to his right as he set up. Mina and Carmine were there. Their weapons were leveled at the door, twenty meters away.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up, and he looked around for a moment. He could feel eyes upon him. The Crusaders were probably watching him through one of their drones. He could feel sweat on his forehead, and he shook himself to clear it so it wouldn't fall into his eyes. His heart thundered in his chest, it felt like it would burst at any moment. He tried to swallow, but couldn't' force the lump past his throat.

Where was that damn bird?

The doors blasted outwards, and a barrage of fire came from within. Men ducked down as the upper levels of their cover was vaporized. The two tailed fox reached for a grenade and hurled it. He felt the shockwave from the blast a moment later, but the fire kept up. He lobbed another, but whatever was shooting kept on.

Then he felt heat wash over him, followed by a pressure wave. Flecks of white and purple energy teased at the edges of his vision. The shooting stopped, and he carefully peaked up, ready to drop his head back below the lip of what was left his cover. What he saw made him gasp. Half the staircase block had been destroyed by something. Vapor from metal and permacrete filled the air, and bits of liquid rock teased at the edges of the blast radius. He looked over to his two squad mates, and then over to where Joshua, Terry, and Erik were. They shook their heads.

"Did anyone see who or what the hell that was?" he asked.

"Negative sir, but it came from the building across the street," a Delta Squad member said.

He twisted to see what it was, but found that he could see nothing. A explosion back in the direction of the rubble ripped his attention back to the stairwell remnants. The debris was blasted into the air, and small chunks raid down all around them. Two drones came stomping up, their Vulcan arms whirling and preparing to swiss cheese the defensive positions of his platoon.

There was a slight waver in the air, like a distortion from a heave wave. Shrieking metal, arcing electricity. The arm was ripped in half. Two more distortions followed in rapid succession. The machine staggered, but remained upright. It twisted its working arm in the direction of its assailant and let fly. A river of purple fire blasted into the building across the street. Its companion marched forward and a pair of missiles shot up into the air. Tails felt a curse welling up as he saw the Stingers come down. Then they suddenly exploded in midair and formed twin star bursts. His radiation meter spiked. He swore.

"We've got rad in the air, that LAAT better have med-tech equipment on board."

"Don't worry, ground pounder, I've got you covered. Sit-rep?"

"Hostiles trying to work their way up and overrun us, get down here!" Tails shouted into the com link. "Another friendly unit across the street. Not sure who it is, but we'll need to pick them up too."

Another distortion slammed into the machine. This time from a different angle. The machine staggered again, but kept firing, as did its companion, which had split its attention between Tails' platoon and the unseen sniper. A couple of grenades hit against them, damaging a few parts and causing a few servos to fail, but the machines were still combat operational. What did it take to drop those things?

A comet suddenly streaked in. Blazing like a star, it flashed before his eyes he saw it move in between the two droids, like it was going to miss them. Then it exploded like a fuel air bomb. His visor attempted to polarize, but he still had to avert his eyes to prevent himself from being temporarily blinded by the small sun that had leapt up. When the flash cleared, the drones were puddles of molten slag.

He twisted, trying to find out who had been helping them. He could see nothing, and switched to infrared. Still nothing. Holographic did nothing to help either.

"Whoa! What did you guys set off? We saw that from here." the pilot asked, and Tails could see him coming in, about one klick away form their position.

"Wasn't us. Now hurry up, we've wounded here, and a few people whose NBC is breached. They've probably picked up radiation from those missiles." The Corporal kept his head level, tried not to look out to the other building anymore. Their friend was there, whoever he was. The Neos were as well.

The distinctive double shockwave of a hypersonic aircraft reached the young man's ears and he threw himself flat on instinct. He looked up, saw the Ravager streak in and closed his eyes, preparing himself for death. He had no more SAMs, nothing that could possibly hurt the craft. He heard missile fire, and an explosion rattled his teeth. Then he opened his eyes, unable to believe that he was still alive. A ragged breath that he didn't know he'd been holding left his lungs. It was quickly replaced by a gasp.

The Ravager had blasted the other building, where the sniper had been hiding. Flames

billowed up into the air from the holes the weapons had made. Then he heard the sound again. The fighter was coming back for another pass. Tails watched in disbelief as the craft opened up with everything it had. Rotary cannons, missiles, and what appeared to be some form of cluster bomb smashed into the roof. Light flared up and even through his suit, he could feel the heat that the explosion radiated. There was a crack, a rumbling, and the smashing sound of the building partially collapsing. He looked and saw the upper fifth of the structure had collapsed on the lower sections.

He was tempted to lower his head and pause for a moment of silence. There was no way someone, anyone, could have survived that.

"Focus on the stairwell!" he ordered. They weren't out of this yet.

That Ravager hadn't come in to use up half of its ammo on an infantryman for the hell of it. That was a called in air strike. The enemy was still here, ready to move.

A grenade came up into the air, hit the ground, bounced twice and came to a rest. Tails, Carmine, and Mina all ducked down as the blast swept over them.

The shadow of the LAAT passed over them and came to a halt near the center of the room. The closest thing to safety was ten meters away from where they were.

"Gamma and Delta, you guys move, get the wounded in first. Beta, you and the rest of us will provide cover." He ordered into his mike. He fired a burst as he saw a Jurkadir rifle poke up over the edge of the destruction.

"Understood, Corporal."

Blaster fire streaked towards the stairwell. Bolters and grenade launchers responded, a beautifully deadly lightshow. It went on for ten seconds.

"We're ready for you guys," the pilot said. "Be sure to lay down fire as you come here though. We got a little cooked coming in and our point defense weapons are down for the count."

"I'll hold em," Carmine said as he double checked his underslung launcher. "The rest of you go."

"That's my job, Private." Tails said, giving him a look.

"Fraid I have to object sit. You're more important to the platoon and I've got the heavier weaponry here. Now please move, I'll be five seconds behind you."

He thought to argue, but turned and obeyed. Mina was right behind him, bent double at the waist, her sleek body showing its natural flexibility. There was boom behind them as one of Carmine's grenades went off.

Five meters to go.

"Fierfek, here they come." He heard. Two more grenades.

Three.

Blaster fire.

One.

He jumped up and turned around, firing off a burst from his gun. The Lancer kicked and struck near a Clone's head. The trooper turned his rifle upon the fox while his comrades covered him, and Tails ducked back behind the armored doors of the drop ship. The door shuddered as the rounds hit it.

"They're bringing up a SAM, move your sheb!" Carmine shouted.

The air craft started to rise as the soldier turned and dashed towards them, firing over his shoulder. Tails leaned out and fired off more rounds. His gun clicked empty, and he tossed it down before drawing a pistol. Mina and Joshua provided cover as well, but there wasn't enough to keep the Neo Crusader's suppressed.

Bolts of energy flew sideways across the roof top as Carmine leapt up. The Clone troopers ducked down before sending fire off at another building. Mina leaned down, extended her arm and grabbed the raccoon in mid leap. Carmine looked up, and nodded his head at her as the LAAT rose higher into the air.

More shots from across the street. The Mandalorians retaliated by firing off a SAM at the trooper. More of them fired up at the drop ship.

Mina gave a scream and fell backwards, clunking against the floor of the ship. Fearing the worst, Tails looked over to her. The mongoose was fine, but then he realized two things, first, that Carmine was nowhere in sight, and second, that the girl was holding something. It was a bloody stump. His heart leapt into his throat, and he dove to the side of the ship.

"Carmine!" he stared down, frantically looking for his friend.

Mina was at his side in an instant, just as Tails spotted him. The raccoon was down on the hospital roof, clutching at his right arm, now missing above the elbow. He was perilously close to the edge, and for a moment the fox feared that he would tumble over the edge in his writhing.

Gunfire from across the street again, the Neo Crusaders once more being forced down behind cover. They returned fire, sending a myriad of bolts across the street and ripping the top of the building apart.

"Move back down, we've got to grab him!" Tails shouted as he turned to make his way back up to the front of the cockpit.

"Negative, I've got target acquisition sensors pinging off of me, which means their fighters are going to be all over us in a few seconds. I'm not risking this bird and everyone on it for one soldier." The pilot said.

Even as he looked up, he could see another pair of Ravagers coming in, their blaster cannon filling the air with superheated energy. He dashed back to the cargo area, but they were already out of sight of his friend.

* * *

He saw the soldier drop and hit the roof. The cybernetic hedgehog winced, knowing what that kind of pain was like. He sighted up another Crusader, and fired off a burst of caster fire. The bolts slammed into the Clone before she could react, and she dropped to the ground, smoking holes in her chest.

A warning flash in his mind, and he dove to the side as a pair of rockets came in at him. They streaked overhead and smashed into the building. The whole roof shuddered as they detonated. A trio of stingers followed. A portion of one of the blasts caught him, and his shields dropped by a third. He growled and fired one of his own wrist mounted rockets back at the soldiers. He looked around for the Royal Army trooper that had been downed, and saw him hunkering down behind a slab of permacrete. The young man reached for his belt, drew out a grenade, armed it, and chucked it over the barricade that he was behind.

It detonated, catching a single Neo Crusader and killing him almost instantly. Sonic could tell they were shouting commands to one another, as not two seconds later a Mandalorian was laying down suppressive fire while one of his friends jetted up into the air. The ARC trooper went to track him and shoot him down, but the Clone's comrades had him covered. A storm of energy fire kicked up and forced him on the defensive. Both of his kaiburr swords were in his hands and working furiously to keep the bolter rounds from tearing into his shields. He kept dodging, trying to get clear, but saturation fire was too great and he couldn't get an angle.

It didn't matter. The soldier was already down, dropped by blue stunning rounds. Still, there was a chance…

He leapt off the building and let gravity claim him. The air rushed by his suit as the ground rushed up to meet him. The hedgehog twisted about, extending his claws and stabbing them into the side of the office building. He felt two thumps and the walls shook, right before fire blossomed overhead. They'd called in another air strike to try to take him out. The ARC trooper growled. The person in charge of the enemy platoon certainly knew what he was dealing with.

The Ravager that had fired the missiles streaked over head, pulled up and came to a dead stop in a fashion much more similar to a helicopter than an air superiority fighter. The machine oriented itself nose down, and opened fire. Apparently Clone pilots were nothing if not thorough with their work.

Another humming filled the air, and a Raptor came in parking itself above the top of the roof. A prisoner transport.

Sonic shook his head. There was nothing he could do for the poor sod up on that building. All that he could do now was try to get to where Antoine was, and hope to get him out safely.

* * *

Well, hope that everyone enjoyed it, and that it was better than the last one. As always, feedback is appreciated, and I would love to hear any ideas that you all might have.

So, until next time, fair well, good luck, and remember to go easy on the rum.


	22. Reconciliation

(Meanders in, looking ragged)

Hello again, everyone. Yes, I'm still alive, although my sanity is uncertain. I've had about seven or so writing assignments, presentations, and exams over the past week alone, so things have been rather hectic. Hopefully, the chapter's length will make up for the extra long wait. At around twenty four pages, and a little more than ten thousand words, this is officially the longest chapter I've ever written in my life. Hopefully, the quality will match that.

To everyone who has read this story thus far, I thank you for taking the time to do so, and hope that you don't feel that it's been a big waste of your time. To those of you who have reviewed, I only hope that I have answered your questions adequately. If you have any ideas, please let me know about them.

Lawyers- you know the drill. I don't own Sonic, (unfortunately), or anything else here save what characters my demented mind has come up with.

That said, here's chapter twenty two. Hope you guys like it.

* * *

&

* * *

Reconciliation

"Skies are as clear as they're going to get, getting airborne."

Antoine looked out the side of the LAAT as the ground rocketed away beneath them. The sky was filled with other such ships, streaking up from the buildings ferrying military personnel and those civilians that had managed to get to the extraction point away from the doomed city. The Ravagers were in the mix, falcons among sparrows. Fiery trails lead down to earth as air force pilots and military transports fell from the sky.

The General couldn't deny a familiar feeling coursing through him: fear. Fear of death, like he had those years ago. Would it hurt, he wondered. He imagined the gunship coming apart around him, fire leaping up to consume his body and scattering his ashes all over the city.

He shook his head. If it came to that, then it would come to that.

The coyote stared down at the PDA that he held. He judged their distance, and began tapping his stylus to it. Seconds later, a burst of coded information left it. It was received by a series of remote detonators.

Station Square rumbled as if struck by an earthquake. Power generator buildings disintegrated, as did supply caches and ammo dumps. Flames leapt hundreds of feet up into the air and the shockwaves threw debris for hundreds of meters. Nothing would be left except for massive craters, and the General was silently thankful that all the civilians had been moved to safety shelters.

"Heads up, three contacts at twelve high," the pilot said.

"We're on it."

A group of fighter interceded themselves between the attacking Ravagers and Antoine's drop ship. They outnumbered their enemies four to one, but whether or not it would be able to make up for the fact that their enemies flew superior craft, the coyote didn't know. Seconds later, he discovered that he would never find out. The Ravagers broke off their attacks and headed back for the center of the city. He just stared at the viewing screen in front of him, dumbstruck. Why? Why were they being left alone.

Confused calls were coming in from other pilots. Apparently they weren't the only ships being left to flee back to Mobotropolis with their tails between their legs.

Still, whatever it was that had caused it, Antoine breathed a small sigh of relief. The coyote stood, and then made his way to the cockpit. Once there, he slid tapped into the channels and swallowed hard.

"General D'Coolette here," he whispered in a broken voice. "All units, report in."

* * *

Jaster smiled as he looked at the work that his children had wrought. The battle had taken hours, but at last, Station Square was theirs. Months of planning had been executed almost flawlessly, and despite the high level of resistance that the defenders had put up, causalities were within accepted levels. 

He moved forward along the street, keeping a healthy distance between himself and the Saber ten meters to his right. One could never be too careful. After all, there might be a sniper or two that had decided to stick around just to give him and the rest of his army the middle finger. His eyes kept scanning the buildings, looking for any indication of enemy activity. Neural pulses switched his viewing modes between visible light, infrared, and the new short band wave mode. Nothing. Not a single soldier remained.

Nonetheless, the Mandalore remained on his guard. He'd received reports of platoons of soldiers disappearing into thin air, and one of his squadrons had reported a heavily armed defending soldier that had attacked them on a rooftop. They had been unable to provide a description to the overseer units, and Jaster didn't have to guess twice to know who it was.

Sonic was here. Skulking about in the shadows and waiting for something. He didn't know what it was, but he was determined to be ready.

"_Mandalore to command, requesting update, has anyone spotted the Kyram Kal?"_

"_Command here. That's a negative, Mandalore, but we'll keep the probe droids active and looking for him. He won't be able to hide forever."_

"_Do not underestimate him, command." _Jaster said as he waited for his group's scout to confirm the route ahead was clear.

"_Understood, Sir." _ The voice said. But before he could say anything else, an ungodly loud roar shook the entire city.

Jaster was nearly thrown from his feet, and he instinctively dove behind the nearest available cover. The alleyway was dark and sheltered, and the buildings well guarded against any form of earthquake. Still, the Mandalore was confused. There wasn't a fault line anywhere around here, and that had felt too… synchronized… to be a natural phenomenon. His eyes narrowed as he patched himself back into central command.

"_Command, confirm the origins and nature of those detonations." _He accessed the readouts of various probe droids in random sectors, trying to ascertain the damage.

"_Hold a tic, Mandalore. Reports coming in and overlaying them with city plans…Explosions line up with known power supply sectors and defense grid measures, Sir. Enemy appears to be employing a scorched earth policy."_

"_Clever of them." _ He said before another operator opened a line with him.

"_Mandalore, our X eighty seven pilots are reporting a possible target of opportunity. A military LAAT that appears to have a sizable escort of fighter craft."_

"_Patch it through to me." _The timber wolf said. He paused for a moment and then the picture appeared on his holographic HUD. He saw a dozen fighters swarm around the ship as it tried to make a break for it and reach the large aerial convoy that was heading away from the city.

He nodded inside of his helmet. It was D'Coolette. With the Royal Army's air corps so devastated by his own fighter craft, there was no one else that would have afforded an escort that large.

"_Break off, break off now." _He kept his voice calm as he moved across the street, ducking down behind a stair case and tapping into a local probe droid to get a better view of the area ahead of his squad.

"_Sir?" _

"_The General has fought well today. Such courage and skill should not go unrewarded. Let him go home. There has been enough death today." _He said. _Let him go back to his family. _He thought.

"_Sir,"_ A fourth voice interjected, _"Squad leader Rho-1894 reports that her men have discovered another civilian bunker, but that they're under heavy guard and that the Royal Army soldiers are refusing to surrender. She's requesting orders."_

"_Have her send her combat droids in, with their weapons set for stun. Once the defenders are down, move in and secure them. Keep the civilians under guard and make certain they stay down there until we're sure that the city is secure." _

"_Roger that, Sir."_

Jaster nodded, and then noticed that his scout was on his way back.

"Route up ahead is clear Sir. But I recommend we stay frosty just in case." The Clone said with a salute.

"Lead the way, Private."

The group began to advance one again, ever closer to final victory.

* * *

Derrick looked around the lobby entrance to the command center and nodded his head. Charges were in place here and at all critical power junctures. The building was structurally sound enough to survive having them go off, but it would be weeks before they Neo Crusaders would be able to utilize the place. More than enough time for them to get a counter attack together. 

The men and women he'd gathered looked ready, they were behind barricades and the like, weapons oriented at the corridor leading into the place. The Death Watchman smiled forlornly. They were ready to die for their world and people. Reminded him much of his old life.

"All troopers dismissed." He said.

It took a couple of seconds for the command to register, and they looked at him like he was crazy. He chuckled at the unasked question.

"Go, get to the remaining evac ships. I can hold this place." He took out his rifle and double checked the detonator switch for the local bombs.

They exchanged glances, and then beat a hasty retreat back to the turbo lifts. The old warrior marched over behind the barricades and prepared himself. It would not be long before the advanced forces of Jaster's army arrived and he would need to be ready. He'd have one shot. One shot to end it all.

* * *

Tee motioned her troops forward as they approached the command center in the heart of Station Square. Though casualties had been slightly higher than she'd anticipated due to stiff resistance, the Royal Army had broken before their might. Now, save for a few token pockets of cut off soldiers who were determined to fight to the last man, the city belong to their master. 

She approached the armored doors of the command center her rifle up, its overbarrel grenade launcher armed and with a fresh magazine of thermal detonators ready to unleash hell on anything that got in her way. The Mandalore was not far behind them and she wanted to make certain that any nasty surprises the Mobians might have left behind for them were already out of the way when he got here.

She heard talk on the command channel, something about letting the fleeing survivors go, but the rest of it was lost as she focused on the objective at hand. She ran a series of active and passive scans over the doors in front of her, searching for a thermal reading, electrical signal, or other indicator of a trap. There were none. No trip wires, contact sensitive pressure plates. Nothing. She raised an eyebrow behind her electronic visor. Something wasn't right.

The Clone motioned to one of her subordinates, who nodded and moved forward. The doors opened slowly, and the Mandalorian entered, his heavy repeating bolter sweeping the areas in front of him. Again, there was nothing. Tee frowned again. Something just wasn't making any sense where. Where were the defenders, the squads that were to try and hold her at bay until everything vital was secured, destroyed, or evacuated? Surely they weren't that far behind the defenders, were they?

She heard footsteps, and snapped her rifle up as the rest of the squad dashed to cover. No blaster bolts flew though, no grenades clanked. For a third time, Tee frowned. A shape was moving out of the dark. She squinted and then gasped in surprise.

She snapped to a salute as her training came to mind. But as she looked at him, Tee's mind felt a pulse of curiosity. Who was he? A Death Watchman to be sure, but his armor was old, predating Malachor. She noticed something in his hand, a small tube with a button and a trigger on it.

She went to call an order, her mind reeling in confusion and betrayal as she recognized a dead man's switch. The explosion sent her flying though. She heard the cries of her squad mates as a blast of massive proportions incinerated them. The whole front end of the building was ripped apart in a massive fireball. She felt searing heat, pain as she never thought possible as her armor heated and melted to her skin.

She hit the ground and flailed about like a fish out of water, reaching up and tearing her helmet free in an attempt to rid herself of the pain. She screamed in agony for the third time in her life as she felt herself cook inside of her own shell.

Derrick rocked backwards as he saw her face. Blue eyes rimmed in pain, white fur so like his own. He stepped back, further away as the solider looked at him. Her eyes were confused, 'why' etched into the iris. Betrayal.

The Clone drew one more ragged breath, and then went silent. Her eyes remained open though, they stared at him. Accusing him. _Murderer_. _Betrayer_.

"It's not her, it's not her," told himself over and over. "It's not her, that's not your daughter." He felt sick and wanted to throw up. He couldn't though, he needed a stomach for that.

The eyes stared on.

Heaves and sobs came from the old warrior. It was like his first kill all over again. He thought of Brianna, his little girl. Now he saw her again, standing before him, dead by his… No! That was not her! That wasn't the little girl that had playfully ridden about on his shoulders as a child, who'd pouted when he'd told her it was time for her to go to bed, who had hugged him round the neck when he'd departed for Dagon's Peak. That was not the frightened girl who'd wept into his shoulder as he'd run out to try to beat the army of General D'Coolette back at Malachor, the child he'd promised that he'd come back to.

But the Clone was still a Mandalorian.

Never before in his life, in the hundreds of fights, skirmishes, battles and wars that he'd fought in had Derrick ever had to take the life of one of his own.

And what of the others he'd just killed? Clones of Jaster, the boy who he'd been a second father too, and now his son by marriage. Clones of the other templates. Soldiers forced to grow up by themselves in a hell of a world that could not have cared less whether they'd lived or died. How much of their souls had been destroyed when their race had been wiped out?

"Pull yourself together, you fool!" he cursed himself.

He couldn't though, not while those eyes stared at him, told him the truth of just how easy it had been to depress that button, pull that trigger.

_What will you do when you meet her for real? Will you greet your child with a rifle or a rocket?_

"Shut up." He glared at the corpse, before he gathered himself, marched forward, and closed the eyes.

He moved back towards his protective barricade, and prepared himself for what was to come.

* * *

Jaster suddenly frowned as he realized that one of the forward platoons hadn't reported in. He's sent them ahead to scope out the now apparently abandoned command building. He didn't like this. 

"Commander Tee, report." He waited three seconds, and cautiously increased the power of the signal, enough to hopefully burn through any jamming or ECM measures that the Mobians might have in place around their former headquarters. "Commander Tee, report."

Silence met his order. The Mandalore's eyes narrowed and a faint, lupine growl made its way up his throat. So, there were still some survivors left. The wolf's heart went out to whomever it was that had managed such a feet. To stay behind and buy that kind of time, it certainly took courage. But those people were also getting in his way. Shadow had already been informed that the city was on its way down, and he was no doubt on his way here to personally inspect what his army had been able to unleash. Jaster had no intentions of letting his employer down, his pride as a Mandalorian would not allow for it.

"All units, stay tight and frosty, we've still got hostiles here." He whispered into his comlink. The Clones around him returned with affirmatives, and began to move towards the building.

Jaster tapped into another probe droid and decided to check and see what was ahead of them. The doors to the command tower had been blown clean off, and the insides were a mess. He commanded the probe to go down and inspect the damage, and it was shortly thereafter that he discovered his missing patrol. Tee lay where she was, her armor a blackened husk. Others had been blown to pieces by the blast of whatever had gone off.

He motioned for his men and women to approach slowly. He didn't want to set off another booby trap.

* * *

They advanced forward into the building, scanning about. Positions were taken behind the shattered remnants of stone columns and half melted barricades. Whatever had gone off here had been big, Jaster thought. The Mandalore had both of his bolter pistols drawn, and was ready to lay down a murderous fire on whoever had killed his soldiers. The crosshairs danced faintly across his HUD as he shifted the guns left and right, tracking every faint flick, every twitch on his motion sensor. There was nothing, and the wolf frowned. He sent the fly sized probe droid forward, deeper into the darkness of the lobby. It skittered about, sending its various viewing modes throughout the cavernous room. Then he just seemed to melt out of the darkness, as if he'd suddenly teleported into the building. The Clones sighted him up, and then gasped. 

Jaster stared in disbelief at what his HUD sub-monitor was showing him. He blinked once, twice, three times, but still the image refused to vanish and recede into the depths of his mind. Still the black armored soldier stood there, heedless of the multitude of weapons that were pointed in his direction. His eyes roamed over the man's equipment. It was old, and showed the scars of battle, but it was in good condition. Did he dare to hope that the person who stood before them was actually what he apepared to be/? Or was this just some clever ruse? Slowly, ready to pull back the instant this proved to be some trick or ruse, Jaster stuck his head out.

"Identify yourself," he said, his weapons trained on the other warrior.

The Death Watchman tilted his head to the side, and then he spoke.

"I am a ghost." He said. "A faded remnant of a people dead and forgotten. A shade of a once proud and noble history."

"If you are truly what you dress as, then you are not a remnant," the Mandalore shook his head. "We have been reforged, and though it will be some time before we fully recover from what happened in the Great War, we will once again stand tall among the peoples of Mobius."

"So says the leader of an army of slaves," the Watchman turned slightly and seemed to stare at the Clones that were behind him.

Jaster stiffened, and what came next was a harsh growl. "Don't you dare call them that."

"Why not? For it is what they are," the other man shrugged, and for the first time, the Mandalore noted the age that seemed present in the voice.

"Who are you to dare address the saviors of our kind in such a fashion?" His grip on his pistols narrowed, and it took all his self control and iron hard will to not try to kill this man where he stood. Only the fact that he believed the man's enigmatic claim stayed his hands.

"Your challenger, Mandalore." He paused for a second, and visor met visor. "By law and accordance with Mandalorian tradition, I claim that you are unfit to rule and challenge you for the right to the title, armor, and weapons of the Mandalore."

"You need more backers than just yourself to challenge, old man," Jaster kept his surprise well hidden, and the pulse of sorrow that echoed through his soul.

"I have none save myself, for they are all gone to their ancestors." There was a pain in the man, a slight slump in the shoulders. "It is for them that I challenge you. The Mandalores of times past would be ashamed of your actions."

Jaster paused, much as he hated the thought of fighting one of his own kind, especially an elder, he could sense that the man was not going to give him much of a choice in the matter. One way or another, this was going to end in a fight.

"What deeds make you worthy of leading our people?" he asked.

"I am a survivor of Malachor, and have seen battle hundreds of times. I have fought at Dagon's Peak, Auirica, Kenis…" he went on to name several more sites where he had fought the Royal Army, before he finally reached something closer to the present. "I battled in the war against Robotnik, and I stood fast against the demon known as Norrack." He paused, watched Jaster closely. "If you want to know my name, though, you must best me in battle."

The Mandalore blinked as he heard the final boast. This soldier had fought Sonic? He had managed to stand up to the ARC trooper and walk away from the fight? For some moments, he stood where he was. Finally he found his voice. "Impressive, old man. By law and accordance, you are skilled enough in tactics and leadership worthy in my eyes and in the eyes of my soldiers to challenge me." The Mandalore crossed his arms in a salute of respect. "Name your battlefield, Watchman."

"Here and now." The other soldier turned his back and scooted off into the darkness of the corridors beyond. "Let's see if you can measure up to your father."

The challenge caused the wolf's fur to stand on end. His father, could he ever amount to what Canderous had done? Could he be the Mandalore that his father was? Such were his thoughts as he stood where he was and waited. The right of challenge was more than a simple contest of brute physical strength or one's skill with a blaster. His challenger would be given four minutes to put distance between him and set up any traps he could. One had to be cunning to be a leader, to be able to outthink the enemy. A soldier's greatest weapon was his mind.

The wolf's thoughts drifted to his mysterious adversary. Who could it have been? All of the intelligence that he'd ever been able to obtain relating to the Death Watchmen pointed to every last one of them being killed at Malachor. That one had survived that nightmare, emerged alive from that carnage, and had been alive during the war against Julian…

Four minutes passed and he double checked all of his equipment, reloaded his pistols, and slowly advanced into the darkness.

ASD

Tails stared around, seeing yet not seeing. So much death, so much destruction. And now Carmine. The young man who had befriended him throughout boot camp and been by his side through it all was gone. He didn't know what to do, just wanted to lay back and think. His eyes drooped, his arms were limp, and his very soul felt exhausted.

Joshua was not so quiet in his morning. The ferret was opening weeping, rocking back and forth, his rifle clutched between his hands. He seemed torn. One moment, he would be sobbing, and then the next he would fly into a rage, spewing curses at the Mandalorians that had taken his childhood companion away form him.

Mina's arm was around him, rocking back and forth with him. She was silent and stoic. But Tails could see the truth. Her eyes were dry, but they were rimmed in pain. They were not alone in their grief. The platoon that Tails commanded had been cut in half during the defense of the city. Five more people groaned in pain as a medical droid tried to tend to their wounds.

They were a pitiful sight, and as Tails looked over to them, he knew that his duty as the platoon commander required that he go there and be with them. He forced the thought of his friend from his mind, and set his face. His jaws and eyes hardened, and his hands curled into fists for a moment. He breathed deep, exhaled forcefully, and then repeated the process two more times. He rose to his feet and paced over to the group.

He knelt down next to them, held their hands when he could, as two of them had had their arms ripped off by rocket fire. Two others had nearly been cooked alive inside of their armor from grenades, and the final girl had had her legs shot off by a repeater. All had been infected by radiation when Stingers had gone off in close proximity to them. He only hoped that when they got back to Mobotropolis that the doctors and medical staff would be able to help them.

He suddenly found himself longing for his brother. It was as if he were a child again, shaking and in fear of the darkness. He remembered one time, when he was about six years old, when he had come down with a fever. For days, he had laid in bed, thrashing about and laying in pools of his own sweat. The fever had brought on hellish nightmares, robotic demons had came for him and turned him into one of them. Robotnik leering down at him, tortures of the most horrific kind.

Sonic and Sally had been there for him, driving away the devils. His brother had held him in his arms, while his surrogate mother had given him medicine and quietly sung to him.

He missed that feeling of closeness. He wanted his old life back, the life that his brother had fought and died so that he could have. Instead, here he was in the same situation.

He thought of Carmine again, of the raccoon's joking nature and wondered what would happen now. Would they be able to mobilize and retake Station Square and southern Mobius? Would all those who had just been killed be avenged? Would their sacrifices mean something?

Yes, yes, they would. The young fox nodded his head. Antoine had escaped, he would be able to rally the army and they would mount a counter offensive and take back what they had lost while the Neo Crusaders tried to get everything together and under their control. It was possible, even, that the local populace would wage some manner of guerilla warfare against them, as had happened when Julian had taken over.

Tails shook his head one more time, and clung to that silver lining for all that he was worth. It was a distraction, the thought of vengeance. It kept the darker thoughts at bay. Kept him from having to think about the fates that had befallen Carmine and the rest of the people who had not come back.

* * *

The darkness closed in around him, and the only light that came to Jaster was that provided by his holographic viewing HUD. Even so, the interior of the command building was like a maze, and with the power generators blown by Antoine's well placed charges, a perfect environment for the cat and mouse game that he found himself engaged in. The question, of course, was who was the mouse, and who was the cat. In a game like this, the position could change at any moment and predator could become prey, hunter become the hunted. 

He looked down at his pistols, and decided to increase the power flow just a bit. His opponent was a Mandalorian, after all, and even though he didn't have a neo steel set of armor, it would still be a difficult shell to crack. He leaned against the side of the wall all of a sudden. Did he really want to do this? Did he really want to kill one of his own kind, and one that had managed to survivor the hell that was Malachor?

He focused his mind. Maybe there was another way to do this. Maybe.

The timber wolf glanced around. His opponent was out here somewhere. He took one step forward, and then stopped. A neural pulse changed his vision to infrared. The temperature was uniform throughout the corridor, save for a trio of spots along the doors. A second thought zoomed the view in. Mentally, Jaster tried to match the profile with what he knew. Finally, he realized what they were, sartor anti-material mines. The Royal army used them to peel open the hull of armored personnel carriers and tanks. He had little doubt that it would pierce his armor, despite its defensive capacities. His opponent had put much thought into this.

The Mandalore stared around, searching for where he could go. There was one entrance where the mines weren't planted. He switched through his viewing modes while keeping an eye on his motion sensor. All came back blank. Slowly, Jaster started to move forward, his eyes and pistols constantly moving about. His opponent had just demonstrated that he was no fool. Letting his guard drop for a single second could prove to be a fatal mistake.

He turned down a corridor, and once again saw the charges that had been hastily placed into the walls. He was being herded. That much was obvious. But where did the old man want him, and why? What battleground was he attempting to choose? Jaster paused and tried to form a mental layout of what he remembered of the command building. He was still in the maze-like lower reaches, but the building got less confusing the higher up one went. Could he be trying to force him to move to the upper regions, and if so, why?

Regardless, Jaster wasn't about to play by the rules of his opponent. He judged the distance between himself and the mines, before he drew out a grenade. He primed it, tossed it, and then raced back around the corner that he'd come from. There was a thundering boom that shook the whole level that he had been on as the detonation set off a chain reaction.

The wolf waited a few seconds, before he peeked his head around. There was nothing left of the room. Good. Maybe his opponent would think him dead now.

* * *

Sally stood at the landing bay areas, watching as the transports came flying in. She bit her lip as she stared about. Amadeus and Rosemary were next to her, as was Saria. Bunnie and Guy were off on the other end of the area, searching for Antoine. She knew that the coyote was fine, they'd heard it on the communications that had been flying back and forth between the survivors and central command. However, what she didn't know about was the welfare of her son. 

Her daughter danced about, nervously tapping her foot and hopping around. Amadeus held his wife close, and the princess was certain they were nervously praying or their son's safe return.

Another wave of LAAT's landed. Before the first two seconds were out, the doors were open and wounded were being taken to on site emergency stations. Those whose injuries proved more extensive or complex were taken to one of the many hospitals in the area. Sally brought a pair of macrobinoculars up and began to search the crowd. The ground squirrel chewed on her lip, and kept scanning. He had to be out there somewhere.

She settled her gaze on a new ship that was just landing. The doors shot open and five Mobians were rushed out of it. They were on hover stretchers, and their comrades were rushing them along the way, trying to reach the doctors. Her heart fluttered as she saw a fox at the lead, two black tails sticking out of his body glove.

Saria must have spotted him at the same time, for she was off in a flash. A shockwave was left in her wake knocking some people off of their feet.

Sally glanced to Amadeus and Rosemary. "Come on." She took off after her daughter.

Tails was racing alongside the wounded members of his platoon when a doctor came up next to him.

"What's the status besides shock and missing limbs?" the feline asked.

"They've all got radiation exposure," he said as he looked into the man's eyes. The aged physician nodded and whistled for the rest of his staff. They were on the wounded in moments, and the Corporal watched as his soldiers were taken away. The situation was out of his hands now. Still, the doctors knew what they were doing, and the men and women that he'd commanded were tough as nails. They could pull through, he knew it.

A high pitched whine was the only warning he got before something slammed into his leg with enough force to make him stagger backwards. He looked down and his mouth dropped open as he saw the little girl that was wrapped around his leg. Green eyes stared up into his blue ones, a small, delicate face that he knew very well indeed. The fox dropped to his knees and gently pried Saria off of his leg before he took her in his arms.

"You're okay," she whispered as she pressed herself in closer. The armor that he wore was uncomfortable to try to hug, but she didn't care in the least.

Gently patting the young princess on her back, he looked around the landing area, searching for her mother. He didn't have to search for very long, Sally came racing down shortly, flanked by a pair of palace guards and his parents. They swarmed him, held him close. He felt his father weeping into his shoulder, and both of his mothers clutching tightly around his neck.

"Easy guys, I do need to be able to breathe," he said, but there was no joy in his voice. He pulel away just a little bit, and then heard a gasp. He glanced back over his shoulder. Mina, Joshua, and the others were there, just staring at him, and at the two ground squirrels next to him.

Mina walked forward, blinking several times as she stared at the elder princess. The tattoos running down her face were readily obvious, and Sally stared at them for a few moments before she extended her hand to the mongoose.

"You must be Mina," she said. "Tails has told us about and the rest of the group…" she stopped as she looked over the platoon, and counted the number of people, and the number that wasn't there.

Sally looked to Tails. The young man's head was drooped, as were his shoulders. His namesakes hung limply against the ground, and there was this aura of failure that surrounded him. She was torn between walking over to the boy and hugging him again and leaving that for his real mother to do. Back and forth she tossed the idea, but then the decision was taken out of her hands. She heard the ferret, the one called Joshua, give a startled cry and start to make his way towards the edge of the crowd. There she saw a couple that could only have been his parents.

Tails noticed something else. Standing next to the ferrets was a trio of raccoons. A middle aged couple, and then an older one, his fur turning gray with age. The fox felt the bottom drop out of his stomach and his feet turn to lead. He tried to breath, had to find that next breath of air. He had to do this, had to explain… His body wouldn't let him, he couldn't' move.

With a faint growl that only Sally could hear, he wrenched his left foot up and put it forward. Then his right. Left, right, left right. Closer, closer. Joshua was there, his head lowered, his arms by his sides despite his parents iron hard grip around him. His heart was beginning to pound inhis chest, and it wanted to leap up into its throat. He swallowed, forced it back down, and then drew up next to him.

The grandfather was the first to notice him, and he slowly moved around to face him.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Corporal Miles Prower, sir," he said, vomiting the words up, and then turned to face the younger couple. "Are you two Mr. and Mrs. Carmine?"

"Yes," the woman said, "I'm Agatha, and this my husband, Jim. Where's Percival?"

"_Percival, but I must humbly request that you never address me by that name."_

"_Anyone got a hypo full of caffeine?" _

"_Well, we may get the osick beat out of us in our exercises and simulations, but at least they feed us good."_

His mouth was dry. Tried to force his lips apart, tried to get the words to come out. Only managed a sigh. He lowered his head, stared at his boots. He heard a sob, and looked back up. Agatha was weeping into Jim's shoulder, beating her fist against his chest. The man stared up into his eyes, and Tails braced himself for the inevitable hatred he would find there.

There was none to be found. Only sadness, only grief. Joshua's parents had locked the two together, mourning as well. He felt them finally come them, the words he'd been searching for.

"It was covering our withdrawal…" he looked around, forced himself to continue. "A bolter round took his arm off, and the pilot couldn't risk going back around. There's still… still a chance that he might be alive. The wound wasn't lethal…"

Silence met his statement. Jim simply nodded, but the fox couldn't see any hope in his eyes. He knew where that was coming from too. The Neo Crusaders were Mandalorians after all, and they weren't exactly well known for taking prisoners. A helpless sigh welled up in him, and he just stood where he was. His mind was blank, his hands limp at his sides, numbly clutching his lancer rifle.

He felt an arm on his shoulder, and looked back to see Sally there. She pulled her adoptive son in close, and gently patted his back.

* * *

Jaster dove to the side as a grenade clanked next to him. The trip wire he'd snagged coming along with him. The explosive detonated and filled the air with white hot plasma and shrapnel. He barely felt the heat thanks to his armor, but cursed himself for his carelessness. The trap had been old fashioned, just a simple bit of string attached to the priming switch. Thermal had failed to pick it up, and it had been so then that his holographic projector had not detected it either. His opponent was smart, devilishly so. 

The timber wolf moved his pistols around, seeing the crosshairs moving along his sight, and yet not seeing. His motion sensor was dead silent, but the soldier kept checking over his shoulder. The older warrior had proven his cunning multiple times over the past several hours, and he was not about to put it past him to have found some manner in which he might have been able to jam the sensor. And as always there was the old saying that machines could break, eyes would not.

He moved along, treading slowly, searching for another tripwire, another trap. He froze and squinted all of a sudden. There was a slight bump in front of him, forty feet down the corridor. The tile was up, just a little bit higher than the rest. He reached into his belt pouches and drew out a grenade. Carefully palming it, he rolled the explosive forward.

It hit the tile and flew into the air. From beneath it, Jaster caught a split second glimpse of a saucer shaped device. He ducked down as the mine exploded at chest level. Razor sharp metal fragments embedded themselves in the wall and pinged off of his armor. Then a pair of fireballs leapt from the walls as hidden thermal detonators went off.

The Mandalore just stood, wide eyed at the level of preparation that the Death Watchman had put into the gauntlet he found himself running. Virtually crawling now, he found himself approaching a stair case that would lead to the upper reaches of the command tower. He moved towards the stairs, pausing at their base and carefully observing them. There was nothing that seemed out of place, nothing that seemed dangerous. That would have been a rookie's first mistake. He ran multiple scans over them, searching for the slightest sign of an anomaly. Nothing. He paused, looking at them, his gut telling him that all was not well.

An idea came to him, and he swiveled around and dashed towards the sight of the last booby trap. There were a handful of metallic shards that littered the area, and he picked them up. One by one, he threw them up the stairs. No explosions, not more traps… at least not any that were motion detector triggered. He wasn't about to test out and see if there were any that were triggered by pressure.

He activated his jetpack, adjusting the output to where he hovered just a couple of feet above the ground.

He noticed that the area up ahead of him was another chamber. It was large, almost forty meters in diameter, and columns line it at regular intervals, and he deduced that it must have been for a ceremonial purpose. He landed a few feet into the chamber and immediately sought cover. It proved to be a prudent move. He heard a whoosh, followed by an explosion that rattled his bones. That had been no booby trap, the Death Watchman was within this very room. The Mandalore holstered one of his heavy pistols and then drew out a grenade. He primed it and chucked it around into the center of the room.

His foe again proved his wisdom. He didn't move, didn't take a shot at the explosive. Jaster frowned, and then pulled out his mirror. He moved it around, trying to find out where the old man was hiding at. Turned to the left, nothing. Right, still nothing. No noise, so he wasn't flying. Where was he?

A flash of movement at the far end of the chamber caused him to reflexively stick his gun around and fire off a two shot burst. They went wide of the target and tore a two foot wide chunk of metal from the column that they hit. The black armored soldier retaliated with another Buster rocket. A superheated fireball lit the darkened chamber, and Jaster contemplated his next course of action.

"You're quite good Mandalore," the Watchman said. "I must admit, I didn't expect you to make it through that maze so quickly."

"You'll find I'm full of surprises," Jaster said as he looked into the mirror again.

"You've proven that to me already, Jaster." A pause. "I would have never thought that our people would stoop to enslavement."

"They are saviors, not slaves, old man," He bit back the rage he felt swelling within him.

"Yet their thoughts are controlled by a power hungry war monger with no respect for our kind." His foe fired back.

"A necessary evil. For from their sacrifice, we shall be reborn." He kept his eyes shifting about, he recognized the tactic. The Watchman wanted him to keep talking and loose concentration. "Soon our ranks will swell as our glory is restore."

"And what of Shadow?" The reply was curt, doubting.

"He will die, eventually, Watchman. But we shall live on, unending, undying." He felt a burst of pride. "It is from that dream that I took my title. I am Jaster Merell, son of Canderous, and I am Mandalore the Resurrector!" He saw the man lean out to spot him, and whipped out, blindingly fast.

Purple bolts of energy flew as he fired his pistol, drawing his left one in a fluid motion and bringing it into the fray. He maneuvered between the columns before the Watchman could retaliate. He kept moving, darting out into the open and laying down suppression fire. If he could just land a hit on the shoulder or the arm…

A rocket came in, and the timber wolf threw himself to one side as the explosion enveloped the area where he had been. He growled and continued to fire, ripping apart where the watchman was firing from. The black armored soldier was also on the move, using his old Charric rifle to great effect. Several super-sonic blaster bolts ripped apart the room, and within seconds of the running gun battle, the room was filling up with smoke from vaporized metal. Rockets and grenades fired and bounced, enough firepower that either soldier could have ripped apart an entire platoon of ordinary soldiers.

Anyone watching would have fully understood how the Watchmen and the Mandalore had earned their fearsome reputations. There was no hesitation between either party. Bolts flew and lit up the darkness, creating an eerie light show.

Jaster grunted as a shot hit him in the abdomen. The bolt was absorbed by his armor, a faint glow shinning on the plates. His opponent took a round to the shoulder, but his gear also held up, even though he was knocked backwards. Jaster almost got shot again in surprise. That shot should have spun his foe completely around and knocked him down to boot. Instead, the man recovered almost instantly. The amount of mass required to not be knocked backwards by a bolter round was incredible, much beyond what an average Mobian would be able to take.

There were other things that were odd, he noticed as he fired again. The man was moving too quickly, his movements too swift and sure to be those of an elderly man. Something wasn't adding up here.

A whine reached his ears and he saw his opponent jet through the air. Blaster and rocket fire streaked into towards him. The timber wolf was struck twice as he was flanked, and a rocket blasted him out to the side. His armor glowed as it radiated the heat away from his body. Reacting swiftly, he jetted up into the air and reoriented his bolter pistols.

Smoke filled the room in moments and high powered energy began to rip the area apart. Streaks of red and purple hissed through the air, adding a lucid and surreal setting to the duel. Both combatants weaved back and forth through the air, expertly evading the aim of the other, flying between columns and darting about on a three dimensional battlefield.

The Death Watchman suddenly switched positions and shot towards Jaster. Caught by surprise by the reckless move, the Mandalore fired off two shots before he was hit. The bolt struck the man dead in the center of the chest and super heated the metal of the older armor suit, but he paid it no mind. An instant later, he slammed into the wolf like an armored missile.

The two smashed into the floor and skidded across the room, a faint trail of carbon scoring left on the floor where the jetpacks and singed it. Their guns went flying as they slammed into the wall, and a brief struggle ensued. Jaster threw his adversary off after a few moments, his enhanced strength sending the older soldier skidding away. Again, he was surprised. The soldier was strong… too strong.

What are you? He thought to himself as he went for his blades. He still wanted the old man alive. The serrated edges clear their holsters in a blur. He spun them easily. Telanir, the two were known as, the blades of the mountain. They had been the symbol of the Mandalore since his people had first learned how to work metal.

The hissing sound of a Zhaboka coming to full length answered the challenge and the Death Watchman leapt up, weapon at the ready. Jaster nodded and connected the hilts of his weapons, before rushing in. Blades crashed against one another as he brought it up from below, ready to slice into the man's side. The Death Watchman countered and brought his double bladed sword against Jaster's in a powerful chop.

Jaster dodged to one side and spun, a move that would have sliced a Mobian in half. The black armored soldier was a blur, though, leaping up and over the attack. At the same time he lashed out with a kick. Jaster ducked beneath the attack. He swung upwards, aiming for his opponent's right leg. A split second activation of the Watchman's jetpack stopped him from falling on it. Jaster threw himself forward to get out of the way of a downward stab. He rolled and leapt upwards as his opponent jetted in once again. The timber wolf thrust his weapon out. Unsurprisingly, the Death Watchman maneuvered out of the way with room to spare, but it did force him to break off the attack.

The two stood teen feet away from one another. Each one stared at the other, silver and blue against black and red. They circled each other, moving slowly and surely. Occasionally one would spin their weapon or shift their weight, testing the guard of his adversary.

"You are wary… good." The old soldier spoke as he stared at the wolf. "Much like your father… Ressurector." Did he hear respect? "Now… if only you could find your courage."

He jumped forward and brought his Zhaboka up in a mighty swing, fully intending to try to split the Mandalore in half vertically. As Jaster moved to dip out of the way of the strike, the warrior made a split second change in the angle of his attack. Only Jaster's years of training saved him and enabled him to block the blow. Too fast, too strong. Again, much more than he should have been. What sorcery enabled him to do this?

"What are you, old man?" he asked as his muscles slowly pushed the weapon back away from his body. The Death Watchman shifted the attack suddenly, and came in from the other side. Jaster again parried the blow as he awaited his answer.

"As I said, a specter from the past, and little more than that." The old warrior grunted and then spun his weapon rapidly end over it, slicing through the air as Jaster leapt backwards.

Jaster caught the tip of the Zhaboka blade as he spun around, knocking it upwards into the air and then flipping away to gain more distance. There had to be some way to end this fight…

His foe charged in again, the twin blades blurring around. The timber wolf watched carefully, and blocked strike after strike. A feint came in from the side, he didn't take the bait, watched instead for the real blow, and dropped beneath a decapitation strike. He thrust his right leg out and tried to sweep his opponent's feet out form underneath him. The Death Watchman jumped up, only to find that his silver armored opponent had anticipated the move, and jumped up in a lethal spin attack. He managed to deflect the slash, but only just. The two blades ground against one another for a split second, before both combatants were once again slashing away at each other.

Jaster stabbed forward, and then vaulted upwards as the black armored Mandalorian evaded the strike. He spun around in mid-flight and a strike cut a deep knick into the shoulder armor of his foe. The other soldier ignored it, and struck out. He scored a hit alongside the Mandalore's ribcage, but the wolf's superior armor proved its worth, and the Zhaboka blade bounced off without leaving a mark.

Undaunted, the Death Watchman pressed the attack, slashing downward, intending to split Jaster's head open like a melon. The Mandalore parried expertly, before reversing his strike and bringing the blades of his weapon down. The power behind it drove his opponent to his knees. On a reflex, the timber wolf lashed out and planted his foot right into his foe's gut. Grunting, the Death Watchman fell backwards and hit again the ground. He moved to activate his jetpack and get clear, but another strike sent his Zhaboka flying away from his hands.

The Watchman felt the blade against his chest, and looked up to the victor. He slumped and let his head thump against the scarred floor. He had failed.

"On your knees, old man." Jaster said. His tone was neutral, devoid of emotion.

Slowly, his foe complied. Wary of every move, the wolf reached out, gripped the underside of the helmet. He could hear the seal protesting, and it finally gave to his strength. "Let's see who you are."

He yanked the helmet off, and gasped in surprise as he looked upon the golden photoceptors.

"A machine?" He breathed once, twice. "They dare to send a roboticizied Mandalorian after me?" He ended the sentence with a roar.

"Do not blame your enemies, Jaster. I chose this fate," his foe said as he bowed his head. Jaster rocked backwards and cocked his head.

A Mandalorian would choose that fate? To be incased in a metal shell for all time? To be trapped inside an unfeeling body of circuits and wires. To never know the touch of family, the feel of the wind on one's face, the squirming of a young child?

"There are times when I wonder about the choice as well." He looked the older warrior in the eyes. There was something familiar about them. "But it is a small price to pay for a chance to die as a warrior, rather than strapped to some bed as my body starts to fall apart." He chuckled mirthlessly. "Still, I suppose I owe you my name."

The Mandalore nodded silently.

"Think hard, Jaster. I helped raise you, stood by your father countless times." For a second, he actually felt a lump form in what used to be his throat. "I was there when he was murdered… where I thought you were murdered."

The Telanir clattered to the floor, dropped by suddenly numb and nerveless fingers. The silver armored warrior's breath quickened. Faster and faster, he was almost hyperventilating. How? It was not possible. He had been hauled off, heard him be dragged away as he had lain on the dusty wasteland of Malachoir with his life bleeding out.

"Derrick?" His voice was quiet, he couldn't control his vocal cords. Hands shaking, Jaster pulled him to his feet and looked down into the smaller Watchman's photoceptors.

"You're almost as tall as your old man, boy." He chuckled again. There was a little bit of humor to the words this time.

"How?"

"A Mobian soldier that I'd had a few run ins with before stopped Tinian from killing me." Derrick shrugged. "I spent a few years in a maximum security holding cell, right until Robotnik took over. Then I broke out and started fighting back. Things just kinda went from there."

Jaster remained silent. The Mandalore's gaze roamed up and down the man turned machine in front of him. The aged wrinkles that he'd always imagined Derrick having, brought on by stress and loss were not visible. His eyes glowed, and no physical limitations impaired him. He had become a weapon at the expense of his humanity. But there was still a soul underneath all of that circuitry and metal. The wolf was lost in thought for a few seconds, unsure of what to do. Shadow was on his way here, would arrive soon. But he couldn't just hand Derrick over, could he? Back and forth the war raged behind the helmet. Behind the mask he wore.

Finally he went over and picked up his pistols.

"Grab your weapon and get out of here. Stick to the sewers and you should be able to evade the patrols well enough." He said, his back to his father in law.

"You're letting me go?" Derrick folded his arms across his chest and stared at the wolf in surprise. "Why?"

"How am I supposed to explain to Brianna that I killed her father? How and I supposed to tell Cado that I cut down his grandfather?" Jaster's voice was quiet, almost bitter.

"Grandfather?" Derrick's photoceptor covers widened slightly.

"You've been one for eight years now." There was a sigh. "Just go. And try not to get yourself killed. I want to see you when this is all over with."

Derrick opened his mouth. Paused for a second or two, and then clamped it shut. He moved forward, grabbed his helmet, his rifle, and his Zhaboka. Then he dashed out of the room, leaving Jaster alone on a scarred and ruined battlefield. Victorious in the physical sense. But what of the spiritual?

* * *

It took the Death Watchman only a few minutes to reach the sewers. He was fortunate that the squads of Clone soldiers were still concerned about locking down the outer portions of the city and working their way systematically inwards. He didn't want to think about his chances of evading them. 

They had proved time and again today that they were not the Swat Bots of the last war.

He slowly moved through the darkness, constantly on the look out for any sign of trouble. His rifle was to his shoulder, and his boots hardly left a sound against the permacrete that he walked on. Thus he was surprised when a voice spoke.

"Over here."

Derrick twisted, his sights on where he thought the voice had come from. There was no sign of it though. The voice was strange, though. Partially distorted… almost electronic. He shifted around some more, his finger teasing and caressing the trigger of his Charric. His thermal vision showed nothing, so he switched back to low light.

"Alert. Good. Nice to see that my actions didn't permanently take you out of combat."

He saw something then, a liquid like distortion that moved away from one of the walls. If he could still breathe, he would have gasped. It couldn't be, he'd been destroyed. Hadn't he? What was going on here?

"Norrack?" Derrick said, shifting backwards, wary of any sudden moves. Whether or not this was the ARC trooper that had mangled him almost a decade before, he knew what they could do, and he wasn't going to give it a second's advantage if it proved hostile.

"Yes, and no." The cloak fell away, revealing gray armor painted up with dark urban camo. The Mandalorian recognized the sleek look of the Mark IX suit that Shadow had worn in that holovid that he'd seen. He leveled his rifle, only to find it yanked from his hands by an unseen force.

"Easy there, old timer, I'm not my brother." The ARC trooper said as the rifle levitated in mid air. "I want to help you."

"Why should you… wait a minute? Brother?" Derrick shifted, and prepared himself for anything.

"Long story, and I owe you. You've helped Tails a lot lately." The rifle slowly moved back towards its owner. "I've got some friends and a transport nearby. If you want to keep fighting, come with us."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Derrick was again wary, though he did reach out and grab his gun.

"You don't." Sonic said with a shake of his head. "But right now, I'm the best shot you've got for getting out of here without getting caught."

Derrick thought about it. The ARC had had total surprise when he'd initiated the confrontation. If he'd wanted to, he could have simply killed him where he stood. That had to mean something.

"Lead the way."

The super soldier nodded, and turned around. His pace was swift, but the Watchman was able to keep up.

All the while, he wondered.

* * *

He stood staring at the line of people in front of him. His voice was tired with a touch of coldness. There had been so much death, he just couldn't think about it any more. One by one, he called out the names of the squad mates that had fallen to the enemy to their families. One by one they would break down and wail out their agony. 

Was this what his father had been through after Malachor? Had he had to do this? The young fox resolved to ask him later.

He called out the final name, and then slumped backwards. He felt a pair of hands on his shoulder, and a grip around his knees. Both Sally and his mother were there, and little Sarai had a death grip on his legs. His father walked over and joined them a second later. What little serenity and solace that they managed to gather around themselves was shattered a moment later when Sally heard her name being shouted.

The ground squirrel twisted around and saw Bunnie come dashing towards them. She had guy wrapped in her arms, and the princess noted how dazed he seemed. She felt a cold chill settle in her stomach. Something was wrong.

"Bunnie, what is it?"

The rabbit simply panted, unable to speak. Sally placed her hands on her friend to steady her, and then looked into her green eyes.

"Bunnie, focus. What's wrong?" She kept her tone level, strong.

"It's Antoine," her eyes seemed torn between sorrow and rage. "Geoff…" she remained silent for several more seconds, her eyes shifting all around.

"What about Antoine, Bunnie? What did Geoffrey do?" Keep calm, keep calm. They could sort it out later.

"The son of an Overlander had him arrested, and now they're gonna court marshal him!" it finally came out, laden with so much poison that Bunnie's beautiful features twisted into a mask of hatred.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, allow me first to apologize for the OC focus in this chapter. I'm trying to flesh them out, but I'm not sure how good of a job I'm doing. Expect things to jump back towards Sonic and Sally after this. 

Also, if anyone has any idea how to write a military trial, or any trial, I'd love to hear it. Because I'm clueless and my attempts at researching it aren't going very well.

Any additional ideas that you might have will also be welcomed with open arms. Feedback is also accepted, be it in the form of an idea, constructive criticism, or even a flame. All are accepted here.

Thank you all, and until next time, stay safe, and try to stay ahead in the game of life.


	23. Betrayal

Hello again everyone. Can't stay long, as I have major readings to do for my classes. I just hope that this chapter is okay, and want to once again thank everyone whose read it so far. On a more positive note, I did see Live Free last night. Very good action/comedy, and man, I never knew you could do so many things with a car.

Lawyers: you know the drill.

Hope you all enjoy it, as I'm as per usual, nervous as heck about this.

* * *

&

* * *

Betrayal

The craft rumbled as it sped through the air, vibrating its occupants. A dozen armed guards sat or stood at their stations, their blasters pointed at the shackled man in front of them. Antione D'Coolette looked down at the heavy metal chains that kept him from moving. As if he could really move anywhere as it was, considering he was forty thousand feet above the surface of the planet right now.

How had it come to this? Why had this happened? Why now, when everything that had been fought for in the past was teetering on the brink of destruction?

The coyote fought the urge to weep for the people he'd once served as he thought back to what had happened over the past several days.

* * *

The doors opened and he was led into the room. It was large, with a myriad of benches and chairs throughout it. Dark, heavy wood paneling decorated the walls, along with a few portraits of the commanders of the Royal Army from times past. Antoine had once hoped to find himself among the people portrayed on the walls of this hall. Instead, he now found himself beneath their gaze as a man who was about to be tried for his so called crimes. He saw the chair that he was to sit at, and approached it. He kept his gaze even and level with the three men who were at the far end of the room, the men who would either vindicate or condemn him before this was all said and done with.

He looked out of the corner of his eye, and saw Geoffrey St. John standing their, a confident smirk upon his face. Antoine narrowed his gaze. There was something suspicious about that smile. Something that he didn't like one bit.

The doors creaked shut behind them, and the sounds of the outside world died away. Now there were only the judges, Antoine himself, Geoffrey, and the few court personnel and guards

"The accused will remain standing." The central officer said. He tapped the papers in front of him. "This court is now officially in session. General Antoine D'Coolette, on the charge of Dereliction of Duty, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty."

"On the charge of cowardice in the face of the enemy, how do you plead?"

"Not guilty."

"The record will show that the defendant has chosen to plead not guilty." The judge nodded towards the clerk.

Antoine took his seat and looked across to Geoffrey. The skunk was visibly fighting to hold back a smirk as the trial got underway.

* * *

He felt the craft slowing down. His stomach tried to jump up into his throat as it dove down beneath the clouds. As he looked up to the cockpit, Antoine could see the snow and hail that beat against the LAAT's hull. Mother nature couldn't do much to the craft aside from buffet it slightly in the wind, but the raging blizzard served to remind him of the fate that he had been condemned to.

He leaned back and closed his eyes. For a single minute, the coyote was back in the palace, with the arms of the woman he loved wrapped around his body. He felt her brush against his cheek, and a failed smile came to his face. His thoughts drifted to his son, watching the boy grow up, choosing his path in life and starting a family of his own. The laughter of his friends danced over his ears like a soothing ballad.

"Roger that, control, this is fifty two-forty making our final approach. Make sure you've to the welcome wagon rolled out." The pilot's voice yanked Antoine back to reality.

Bunnie, Guy, Tails, Rotor, Sally and Saria. People he would never see again, never hold, never touch, never kiss, never hear.

The fortress loomed before them like a ghost appearing out of the mists. The LAAT came in smoothly, though, and the gun ship touched down against the cold tarmac within moments. The door was opened, and Antoine huddled in closer as the cold hit him in the gut. Icy winds plunged the temperature to almost sixty below freezing, and the blizzard was blowing hard enough to turn the hail and ice into weapons.

Three men jumped off the lip of the passenger bay and dashed forward. The coyote rose up then and prepared to follow. He inhaled as he reached the lip, and then stepped off of it into the raging storm. The wind tore at him, as if it wanted to rip him right off of the platform and hurl him into oblivion. For a moment or two, he wished that it would. It would a fitting end to the soap opera that his life had turned into.

* * *

He sat on the stand, glaring at the striped Mobian across from him. Geoffrey had his typical smirk on, and it was all Antoine could do to not punch the man.

"So, General D'Coolette," he trailed a hand across the wooden banister that separated them, "would you care to state for this tribunal what exactly your task was at Station Square?"

"I was to hold the city against the Neo Crusader assault." The coyote said, his eyes following every move his adversary made.

"Which you failed to do, despite holding a seven to one numerical superiority over them, is that correct?" Geoffrey crossed his arms over his chest and leaned backwards slightly.

"My troops may have outnumbered the enemy, but they lacked other things necessary to take advantage of that. The enemy had superior fire power, armor, training and…"

"Yes, or no, General. Did you or did you not lose the city to the enemy?"

"You already know the answer to that."

The skunk smiled again, and Antoine half expected him to start drooling like a rabid animal over fresh meat. The other man pivoted about and went back to his desk. He shuffled through some data pads, until he found what he was looking for.

"This is an official order, with your signature on it, confirming that all units from the surrounding regions be concentrated in Station Square. May I ask why you though it best to leave those people who lived outside the city, the small towns and few villages in the area?" the skunk raised an eyebrow in Antoine's direction.

Inwardly, the coyote nodded to himself. A nice trap, this argument. Try to play on peoples' heartstrings and let emotions override common sense. He'd never figured St. John for a psychologist.

"I concentrated my forces because I knew that Station Square was what the Neos were after." He looked Geoffrey in the eye, refusing to let the other man intimidate him. "Those Clones operate like biological robots. They think coldly, logically. They wouldn't waste manpower on a couple of small farming communities that primarily deal in exotic luxury foodstuffs when they had a bigger item on their plate. Station Square held most of the industrial manufacturing factories for the region, including several that were responsible for producing weapons, ammunition, and armored support craft. They knew that taking it out would be a heavy blow to us."

"As a leader of the Royal Army, you have taken an oath to defend all of Mobius' people, have you not?" The trap tried to clamp shut.

"As a leader of the Royal Army, I do not always have the luxury of making easy choices, Colonel." Antoine glared, and a bit of his French accent dripped back into his voice. "I had to decide whether to deploy troops to those rural areas, which the enemy might not even attack, or keep them in the city to protect installations vital to the war effort."

Geoffrey said nothing, but the coyote had the sinking feeling pinching at his gut that despite the truthfulness of his statement, he was still going to be railroaded somewhere along the line.

* * *

Antoine struggled to keep moving forward against the wind, his eyes squinted shut against the biting cold. He had to move forward thirty meters from the landing pad to the facility that was buried into the heart of the mountains here. The journey took him nearly a minute to make, even with the 'encouragement' of Geoffrey's men from behind him.

A reinforce door slowly opened in front of the group, spilling light out onto the darkened landing area. The coyote's real eye closed completely against the blinding change, while the mechanical one kept feeding his brain information. He could se another squad of armed guards, clad in uniform, and one man, a lynx, who appeared to be the warden.

"Welcome to the Devil's Gulag," the guard behind him chuckled.

Antoine said nothing, but stepped forward into the prison. It was cold inside, but nowhere near the icebox that Mother Nature had made the outside region into.

"We'll take it from here," the warden said, gesturing for the keys to the coyote's shackles.

A guard tossed them to the feline, who caught them and swiftly pocketed them. Antoine looked at his surroundings a little more as St. John's troopers backed out into the blizzard and their gunship. As the door shut, he became aware of the walls. They were a dull, metallic grey, rusting in some spots. Faintly, he heard water dripping to the floor. That floor itself was of the same nondescript metal as everything else was, again with interspaced patches of decay. He then looked to his new guards. They wore blue and silver uniforms, and he could faintly see patches of trauma plating woven into them. B-5 carbines were pointed at him, ready to fire a disabling stun round at the moment he proved himself to be a problem.

The Warden made a motion, and the guns were lowered. He took the keys back out of his pocket and moved forward. Loud clacks echoed through the entrance area as the metal shackles fell to the ground. Curious, Antoine looked down at the man, and wondered what was going on.

"Greetings, General D'Coolette, I am Kyle Renders, and under different circumstances I would have welcomed you to our humble prison." He paused for a moment and frowned. "Unfortunately, the Goddess has seen fit to bring you to us under far less favorable terms than we would have otherwise preferred." He motioned for the coyote to follow him. "If you come this way, we'll escort you to the induction area, and get this over with."

Antoine fell in behind him, his eyes roaming around the hallway as he did so. His hands clenched and unclenched, his claws punching lightly into his skin. Never before had the coyote felt so trapped, not even in the many raids in which he'd been on during the war with Robotnik. Was this what it was like to be a caged animal, never to set foot into free air or onto land again? Was his life now to forever revolve around an eight by twelve cell?

* * *

He stared straight ahead, unblinking as the three judges reemerged from the back room that they'd disappeared to. Geoffrey had that look on his face again, and Antoine mentally reviewed what had happened. He'd been accused of cowardice when he ordered men to stay behind so that he set up the self destruct cods for the critical installations. Accused of sabotage and aiding the enemy when asked about the destruction of those assets. And the skunk had gone so far as to claim that in his failure to hold the line against the Neo Crusader forces, he'd directly betrayed the crown.

He'd done his best to refute such claims in a calm and logical manner, but in the current state of things, how the trial ended was anyone guess.

"All rise."

Slowly, he stood. He kept his face forward, his hands behind his back.

"General D'Coolette. It is the findings of this court," the central judge paused, looked him dead in the eye, "that you are guilty on all charges."

Had this been a public trial, there would have been outcries, murmurings, and other hushed conversations from the people in the back, but this was a military trial, and there were no civilians in the back. Something broke inside of Antoine, and tearing at his heart. He kept his face stoic as he stared over at the skunk five meters to his right. St. John's face was something that could only be described and pure glee. The coyote didn't understand it. What had driven Geoffrey like this?

He couldn't think about it, for the judge was speaking again.

"Due to your exemplary prior combat record, it has been decided that you shall be spared from death by firing squad." Antoine didn't know what to think of that, but any hope that he might have felt was squashed in the next moment. "Instead, you are henceforth dishonorably discharged from the armed forces and condemned to the Devil's Gulag for the rest of your natural life, without a chance for parole."

He only just managed to catch the gasp in his throat. The Gulag? By the Goddess, what vendetta did Geoffrey have? That place was a hole vomited up from the depths of hell, where only the most depraved psychopaths and deviants were sent. It was in the northern reaches, surrounded by razored peaks and passes locked in perpetual winter. Escape was impossible. Guards and patrol towers were everywhere, and on the off chance one ever did get past the lockdown capabilities of the prison, the myriad of personnel and sensor devices, and older fashioned things such as metal doors and manual pressure switches, Mother Nature would take care of the escapee.

Not that it truly mattered, as no one had yet managed to get that far, though many had tried.

A sense of stunned betrayal worked its way through the General's soul. For years, he had served his world, put his life on the line, and nearly gotten himself killed. He had given an arm and an eye so that Sally might have a chance to flee from Norrack. And this? This was how he was repaid? He had never sought glory, never pursued accolades, medals, or wished statues built in his honor. What he had expected was a government that would be at least slightly grateful in the event that something went wrong in his career.

He heard the judge saying some things, but he paid them no mind. Nothing else was important now. He was vaguely aware of someone cuffing his hands behind his back and leading him away form the room. As he passed Geoffrey, a faint chuckle came form the skunk. Antoine remembered the night, ten years ago now, where he had sworn to kill the skunk if he stepped over the lines. For the second time in his life, Antoine entertained the thought of murder in his heart. But what did it matter, even if he had a weapon? No, St. John might expect something like that, and the dignity that the coyote had left in him refused to allow himself to stoop to that level.

They emerged from the door, and he saw his wife and son. One look said it all. Bunnie said nothing, her face a twisted mixture of grief, rage, and disbelief. She threw her arms around her husband, who returned the embrace as best he could.

"Where are they taking you?" she whispered into his ear.

"The Gulag." Out of earshot from Geoffrey, he finally allowed for a bit of defeat to entire his voice.

A gasp, the embrace turning painfully tight. A splash of a tear on his shoulder. He twisted as best he could, and planted a gentle kiss on her cheek. He inhaled for a moment, trying to capture everything he could about the woman he loved. This would be it, he knew. He let a tear slip into his own eyes as he broke away and looked at his son.

Awkwardly, he sunk to his knees, ignoring the protests of the soldiers to his sides. He motioned his son over with a shake of his head. Slowly, looking up in fear at the two men next to his father, he came.

"Be good for your mother, son… promise me."

Guy nodded his head, and opened his mouth. Whatever he was going to say, though, was cut off as the two soldiers lost patience and dragged the coyote back to his feet. He was dragged off, with Bunnie still screaming curses and promises of vengeance behind his back. A faint smile tugged at the edge of his mouth. His wife, ever the warrior.

* * *

"I'm afraid you've been assigned to the pit, General." Kyle said.

Antoine, now clad in a prison jumper, turned to face the lynx. "What's that?"

"The area where the worst of the worst are confined to," the Warden said with a shake of his head. "It's pretty much a communal area in the heart of the prison. The guards don't go down there unless they have to. They stick to the upper regions, about fifteen meters higher, and make certain no one causes trouble."

"What are the cells like?"

"They aren't closed most of the time, so the felons can go where they want. The guards can and have shot people though. Around there, they don't take chances." Kyle paused, and tapped his foot against the floor. "Under normal circumstances, I'd have to confiscate your cyber arm… but in this case, I think I'll make an exception."

Antoine looked at the man, cocked his head to the side, and nodded.

"Thank you." Such a limb might be useful in keeping the worse elements away.

"Just be prepared to stash it somewhere real fast if you have to," the warden was very nervous suddenly, and it was something that made the coyote perplexed. "I'd expect Colonel St. John to keep a close eye on you, and if he found out I'd let you slip in with something as dangerous as that… well… it'd be the end for me and you can bet the next man in this position wouldn't be so sympathetic."

"I understand, Warden Renders. Thank you."

It was comforting in a way, to know that there were sympathetic people in this hellhole. Still, Antoine braced himself for what he knew was coming. A long time military officer would not receive a warm welcome where he was headed.

* * *

Sally paced back and forth in her room, with her daughter sitting on the bed. The little girl's chin was propped up by her hands, and her eyes were drawn to the floor. Her mother's face, though, was hard, her lips dawn into a tight frown and her eyes crackled with fire. Her cybernetic hand flexed as she thought of what had happened a few hours ago, when she had learned of the verdict.

* * *

The door slammed open and crashed against the wall with enough force to rattle the room. The young man at the far end of the room jumped up out of his seat and stared at her. Sally walked towards her brother, who was panting in an attempt to get over his shock at her sudden and somewhat dramatic intrusion.

"Sis, you scared me half to death, what is it?" Elias clutched at his chest, trying to convince his heart to stop rattling around quite so much.

"Has that snake told you yet, or has he kept his ally in the dark?" Her voice held its commanding tone again, and her artificial hand whirred menacingly.

"Snake? Ally? What?" Elias stammered as he backed away from his sister.

Sally's wrath grew almost palpable and she slammed her fists down on the desk in front of her, not caring about the looks the guards were giving her.

"Geoffrey, Elias. He's had Antoine sent to the Gulag… for life." Her eyes narrowed again. "You were the one to authorize him to arrest Antoine, only you could have given an order to court martial someone as high ranking as him. Why?"

Her brother looked at her, opened and shut his mouth a few times, and finally sat back down. He appeared to shrink before her rage, like a child cowering before a nightmare.

"The people were frantic, trying to figure out what went wrong, they needed someone to blame, a scapegoat, St. John said—

"And so you threw our friend, our best commander, out to dry for the sake of political expediency?" the ground squirrel slammed her right fist into the metal desk, denting it inward again. "Don't you get it, Elias? It was a power play! Geoffrey wants to take Antoine's place. He wants control!"

"But he's always given me sound advice, and he said we could pardon him after this whole mess had blown over." The king brought his hands up in a defensive gesture.

"But by then the damage will be done!" the rage in her voice seemed to double at what she'd been told. "Antoine's career will be in ruins, his honor in the gutter, and when Shadow decides to march up here and finish the job he's started, we won't have our best strategic mind at the helm. We already lost a lot of commanders and officers at Station Square, we don't need to handicap ourselves further."

She stopped, looked down at the desk, and for the first time, seemed to notice the massive dents she'd made with her cybernetic fist. Sally took a deep breath, and brought her flesh and blood hand up to her temple. She rubbed it, and then looked her brother dead in the eye again.

"What happened to you, Elias?" she asked. "You've always listened to others before, gotten more than one opinion. You've never jumped into something like this."

"I had no choice, Sally, I--"

"There is always a choice!" her wrath returned with a vengeance, and she reached out and yanked her brother close to her, till their noses were practically touching. "You are our leader, Elias. Your choices affect the lives of billions of people. You _cannot_ just make a rash judgment call on something this big. This is going to return to bite us in the tails. And what's worse, you let Geoffrey dally around with his kangaroo trial instead of heading out and taking back the southern regions before the Neo Crusaders—"

"I know, I know!" Elias tore himself free of her grip, and then looked down at the floor. "Goddess, Sis, this is supposed to be your job, not mine."

"What?" Sally's eyes narrowed and she gave him a stare.

"This job, this bloody crown!" her brother gestured to the jeweled band upon his forehead. "You were always the leader, Sally, not me. You were the one who took down Robotnik's schemes. You were the one who risked everything and nearly got roboticized for it. You were the one who warned us about what Norrack would be capable of, and who finally brought him down. I just stood back and nodded like a good little boy." He panted, his face flushing. "Everything important I've ever tried on my own has blown up in my face. Dammit, Sally, I'm the reason Saria doesn't have a father!" His voice cracked a little at the end of the statement.

The princess took a step backwards, folded her arms over her chest, and just stared at her brother. He was about to start wallowing in self pity, and now wasn't the time for that. She said what first came to mind.

"Well, Elias, as the fates willed it, you happened to be born five minutes before me." Sally made a flamboyant gesture with her right hand, spinning it around through the air like she was winding up an old fashioned slingshot. "So whether you like it or not, you're stuck with the job. I suggest, brother, that you start to think about what's going to happen now, and how to prevent it in the future… if we have one."

She turned around and stormed out of the room, smashing the door open again on her way out. She could feel the eyes of her twin on her back, but she ignored them for now. His statement lingered with her though, as it was quite the revelation. The princess had always known that her brother had been uncomfortable with certain aspects of his job, but she'd always assumed that they were just the jitters of settling into the awesome responsibility that he was taking onto his shoulders. To learn that he outright did not want to have any part in the ruling of Mobius…

"Why hello, there, my dear, fancy meeting you out here."

The princess looked up. Her travels had taken her back in the direction of her room, and now she stood in the hallway just away from it. The corridor was deserted as of right now, save for the two Mobians in it. The ground squirrel narrowed her eyes as she stared at Geoffrey St. John. For one of the few times in her life, hatred surged through her. Her eyes became slits, her muscles tensed as adrenaline filled her.

"Don't even start with me, Geoff," she lowered her voice to a whisper, "I don't want your attentions, your pathetic attempts at wooing me, or any other sweet talking in the hopes that you might finally work yourself into my good books."

"Oh, now, don't you think that you're being just a little bit harsh, there, Princess?" the skunk said, his voice a purr. "I know my face isn't what it used to be, ever since Mecha got a hold of it. But there is so much more to me than just my superficial appearance."

"Are you referring to your bloated ego or your contempt for all people not yourself?" Sally fired back. She took a small amount of delight when Geoff's visage cracked for a second, but he quickly regain control of himself.

"Neither, Luv," he shook his head and walked towards her. "Believe it or not, Sally, I am capable of caring for someone… someone like yourself." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Take it off, or I'll rip it off." She hissed.

Geoffrey ignored her, and ran his hand up and down her long, crimson hair.

"Just think of what we could accomplish if we were to—"

He never got beyond that. Sally reached over with her right hand and grabbed him by the wrist. She tightened her grip, and the skunk's mouth dropped open and his pupils dilated. Half a second later, the sound of crunching bone echoed through the hall. The princess kept squeezing and applying pressure to the bones that she had just turned into dust. St. John, with his hand spasming in agony, fell to his knees, his breath coming in harsh gasps as he tried to pry Sally's cybernetic fingers from his mangled arm.

"I warned you," she said, looking down at him in utter contempt. "All the time I've known you, Geoffrey, you've been hounding after me. You treated my friends like dirt, you've just put one of them behind bars on a trumped up charge just so you could move up in the ranks, and try to weasel your way closer to the throne. Know this, Stinky, there is only one person who can claim my heart, and he's twice the Mobian you'll ever be."

Sally released her grip and stormed down the hall, before opening her room and locking the door behind her, leaving the skunk to stumble his way to the nearest medical bay and heal his injury.

* * *

She kept pacing back and forth. None of this had been expected. She could only hope that the short notice that she had given would be enough for them to…

She heard a pounding on the door, shaking her out of her thoughts. Saria looked up as well as her mother went to see who it was. Sally looked through the small peephole in the door, gasped, and then yanked it open.

Bunnie, disheveled and unkempt, stumbled through. It was obvious that the rabbit had been crying. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, her ears drooping. She gave wail and threw herself into Sally's arms.

"I'm gonna murder that bastard," she said through her sobs. "I'll rip his heart out, if he even has one, that is!"

"Bunnie, calm down," the princess said as she patted her friend on the back. "Don't worry, we'll find a way to get Antoine out. I promise you."

"How?" Bunnie stared up at her, green eyes met blue. "That place is fortress in a wasteland. No one has ever gotten out of it except in a body bag."

"There's a first time for everything, Aunt Bunnie," Saria said as she came over and gave the rabbit a hug.

"I'd really like to believe that, sugar, but it's impossible, unless your fool of a brother wises up, and fast." The rabbit shook her head in dismay.

"You know, the Cuy'val Dar have a saying: We do the impossible every day."

Bunnie jolted at the sound of the voice, and looked towards the balcony. Nothing. She could see no one. Then a faint ripple appeared, moving towards them. She gasped in surprise.

"Room's clean, Sonic, no one can hear us." Sally said as she turned towards him.

"Daddy!" Saria shouted, and then streaked towards the blur. She jumped up and spread her arms wide, coming to an abrupt stop a moment later as shimmering arms wrapped around her.

"Easy there, oh blitzing one, I weigh almost three hundred kilos with this gear on. You don't want to knock daddy over." The blur reached up and rubbed her head, before moving underneath and shifting her up to a better position.

"I got your message that the trial was over. I'll guess by the looks on your faces that it didn't end well." His tone was serious again.

"Antoine's in the Gulag." Sally said.

Sonic paused for a moment. His blurred form shifted back and forth. "I need his location, floor plans, and force projections for the place."

"Already here," the elder princess held up Nicole, and the little AI winked on.

The ARC trooper nodded his head and reached down into his belt. Bunnie stared at it, or tried to, as it was just as distorted as the super soldier himself. There was a faint beep as something hooked up to Nicole.

"Data uploaded, my main hedgehog," the A.I. stated in her usual cool tone.

"When was the last time you called me that, Nicole?" Sonic asked, his voice soft and distant.

"Approximately nine years, six months, and fourteen days ago, Sonic." She chirped.

He chuckled faintly and gave Saria another pat on the head. Then Bunnie felt his eyes fall on her. It was almost creepy, to watch that silhouette. It reminded her far too much of when Robotnik had used him to destroy her limbs.

"Give us a few days to run over this, and we'll get back to you." He shifted slightly as he put the data chip, or whatever it had been, back in his belt. "I guarantee that Antoine won't spend more than two weeks in that place."

"Promise?" she asked, moving forward and extending her hand.

"Hedgehog's honor, Bunnie." He took it and gave it a firm shake. Then he set his daughter down and turned to leave.

"Wait, Sonic," Sally rushed up behind him. "I want to see you."

In a second, the cloaking field around the ARC trooper faded into nothingness, and he stood before her. The princess frowned, and tapped a booted foot against the floor.

"The helmet, Sonic." She had that tone to her voice, like she had back in Knothole, when Sonic would do something to irritate her.

The soldier shifted back and forth, his gaze shifting from his soul mate to his daughter, and then to Bunnie. There was a hiss of pressurized air, and then he reached up. Slowly, centimeter by centimeter, the headgear came off. Bunnie caught a glimpse of a black sleeve making its way up the cyborg's neck. Then she saw his chin and jaws, the familiar peach and blue colored fur that she remembered from her childhood.

She yelped in surprise and jumped backwards as the helmet came off over Sonic's head. The hedgehog winced as he realized that the rabbit had never seen his face since he had been transformed into this. The scars must have been hideous, the burning, white eyes startling her. He tucked the helmet under his left arm and stood stark still.

The rabbit realized that she was staring, and tried to set her expression back to neutral. She opened her mouth to apologize, but Sonic held up a hand and shook his head. Then he looked to the ground squirrel. Sally smiled faintly, closed her eyes, and then reached up. The two held their kiss for a few seconds, until the hedgehog broke it off. He looked around to his daughter, picked her up and hugged her tight against his armored chest.

Then he set her down, and placed his helmeted back on. His scars disappeared, his face vanished into the anonymity of the false visor. Another second saw him fad into a blur, and then he was out on the balcony. He looked back to them, waved, and then was over the side.

* * *

Antoine stared around as he was dropped off in the pit. Prisoners growled and advanced towards the two guards that were escorting him. They leveled their weapons and sighted up targets, as did the ones higher up on the lips of the structure. Grumbling, the convicts backed off. They knew that those carbines weren't set to stun.

Antoine took two steps forward, and the lift doors closed behind him. The guards headed back up, leaving him alone, save for those at the top. A couple of the burlier ones, a wolf and a bear, moved in, eager for a chance to go to work on a new comer. Antoine assumed a combat stance, and flexed his cybernetic arm menacingly, letting the whir reach the ears of the two men. They paused, and stared at the limb, only now realizing it for what it was.

They gaped for a moment or two, stunned that he had managed to get down here without having that piece of hardware removed. It was all the opening that the coyote needed. He rushed forward and smashed the metal limb into the chest of the closest one. Ribs shattered underneath the power of the strike and the bear went down, roaring in agony. He spun the wolf and waited for him to make the next move. Howling, the canine lashed out. Antoine saw the feint for what it was and weaved about, dodging the right hook. He grabbed the arm by the wrist, drew back with his artificial arm, and another howl split the air as the former general moved the arm in a direction that nature had never intended for it to move.

Whimpering, he let the larger canine go. He looked around as he heard the elevator coming down behind him. The prisoners moved away from him as he stepped over the two downed Mobians.

"Damn… that was fast." He heard one of the guards say as they loaded the men up and prepared to take them to the infirmary.

Antoine silently thanked his wife for all that she'd taught him in hand to hand. Kyle had warned him that all these thugs respected was strength and cunning. The sooner he proved that he had that, the better. The coyote felt he'd just made a fairly good impression of what he was capable of.

He heard clapping off to his right and glanced out of the corner of his eye. There was a weasel there, clad in an orange jumpsuit, which clashed horribly with his purple fur. Antoine's eyes narrowed. He knew this man. They'd warned him about him especially. Nack 'The Sniper' Fang. Contract killer, assassin, extortionist. One of the worst scum to ever be thrown into the Gulag.

"Most impressive, my friend," the weasel's tone was slick as oil. "Those were two of my best enforcers." He paused and whistled. "Everyone, it pleases me to announce the arrival of a great individual into our midst." The other felons looked to him as he smiled. "Please give a round of applause for General Antoine D'Coolette, who will now be partaking of the hospitality of the Gulag."

"You know who I am?" Antoine folded his arms over his chest, his eyes darting about, wary for any trick or sneak attack.

"We have our ways of finding out information," Nack smirked and took a bow. "Now, the first thing you need to realize, General, is that down here, I run the show. Comprende?"

The coyote nodded.

"Good. For now, we'll just leave you to get settled in. Later, though, we'll come and have a little chat with you."

With that, the weasel turned and faded back into the mass of bodies and impromptu dwellings that had been made down in this pit.

"What have I been thrown into?" Antoine whispered to himself.

* * *

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Okay, hope that was a good chapter. Can't say much, other than the usual in regards to comments. Hope everyone has a great summer, and that my classes don't drive me mad with stress. 


	24. Awakening

Hello again everyone. Good to see you all. I'm feeling a little cheerful of late, due to a combination of good summer school grades, and the fact that I turned 21 last week. For those of you wondering, no, I didn't run out and get hammered. My classes are hard enough with the brain cells I have now.

At any rate, hope that you all find this chapter enjoyable. Starting to throw some really wacky things into it, so I'm not sure how it's going to go over. crosses fingers

Lawyers- you know the drill by now, I shouldn't have to spell it out for you again.

* * *

&

* * *

Awakening

Sonic's breathing deepened, becoming a frantic hyperventilation as he stared at what was going on around him. Explosions and fireballs dotted the horizon, mushroom clouds pulling up so frequently that one might think it a grove of the naturally occurring variety.

He gasped as someone raced past him, little more than a blur. The creature was around his size, just around six and a half feet. He couldn't tell what it was, though. Blue and gold armor covered the being from head to toe. It took cover behind what appeared to be the remnants of an obelisk, and the hedgehog stepped over towards it. It looked around, out from behind its cover, leveled its weapon, and fired. Sonic watched as the weapon spat hypersonic bolts of energy at some target he couldn't see.

The creature ducked back down, and then something plowed into its cover. Metal shattered and boiled away before the fury of the onslaught.

"Battle Brother Octavian here, need support now! Location vector sigma, two eight longitudinal by thirty nine degrees lateral plus three point eight." he heard, yet did not hear, the creature say. It was some other language, yet he mysteriously understood it. "Repeat, brothers, I am pinned down and under heavy fire from what appear to be a group of Bloodthirsters and 'guants. Requesting assistance."

"Where's the rest of your squad, brother?" A voice echoed in Sonic's mind.

"All dead, Brother Captain, the daemons got them."

"Hold tight, Octavian, I'm redirecting a Baneblade to your position."

The soldier said nothing, just leaned back tighter against his cover. More weapons fire hit it, causing the structure to rumble and large pieces of stone and metal to fall. One or two pieces hit the being, and he staggered, but remained upright.

The scene changed then, and Sonic found himself staring at a line of similar beings, all of them down in a trench. They fired weapons at an enemy across a kilometer of no mans land, and squinting, the hedgehog thought he could make out what they were.

Horror clutched at his soul, a nameless terror that brought back memories of the nightmares of his childhood. Winged creatures, demonic in appearance, howled for blood. There were other soldiers there, smaller, looking almost like twisted versions of the ones he was next to. Their steel grey armor had skulls etched into them, and some sported twisted limbs that no longer looked like anything even vaguely resembling their humanoid compatriots.

An explosion went up among the enemy trench, followed swiftly by several others. Sonic turned to watch, his jaw dropped open in awe, as a tank rolled by. The thing was massive, more than twenty meters from end to end. The main turret sported a gun that was a big around as he was, along with missile launchers and several smaller weapon emplacements. Its guns were firing in every forward direction, as if it were trying to erase a stain through the sheer weight of its barrage. Another tank, this one an enemy one, fired. A screaming pulse of energy blasted into the thing, but it pressed forward. The blue armored soldiers around him cheered as it rolled past their position, launching a pair of missiles at the opposing side's fortification. They retaliated full force. Glass craters hundreds of meters wide formed as fireballs erupted to halt the armored charge, tactical fusion weapons, but like nothing he'd ever seen before.

Another switch, another area of the battlefield. Here, the enemy was charging across the field towards a ruined city. Weapons fire was cutting down most of them, though the defenders were also taking casualties. But in some cases, the enemy had entered the ruins and fighting was almost hand to hand. The soldiers grunted and heaved. Large, menacingly looking bladed weapons smashing against armor and grinding into it. The hedgehog gaped in amazement as he stared at one soldier in particular. The man was a massive, hulking specimen of whatever his species were. Gilded wings protruded off of the back of his silver armor, and runic tabards and scripts dangled down from the waist and shoulders of it. In his left hand he brandished a pistol like weapon with a large barrel. The other…

Sonic gasped.

The other held a handle, from which sprang a blade of brilliant, shimmering light. It gave a hum as he flipped it and fired his side arm. A Kaiburr sword. Then the man spoke.

"Where in the Empress' name is that burner?" he called out.

"Here, Brother Captain!" Another soldier, female, shouted.

Clad in the bluish armor of the other soldiers, she jumped up next to him, and aimed a strange looking weapon over the shattered fortification they were behind. The hedgehog felt himself moving forward, and he gaped when he saw what was ahead. There were hundreds of those creatures he'd seen earlier. A whole sea of them. Weapons fire landed among the defenders, and some of the larger, more demonic creatures, gave fell cries and leaped into the air.

"Purge them with fire!" the officer shouted.

Flames, glowing blue white, jumped from the nozzle of the weapon and cut a wide swath through the enemy line. The female soldier worked the weapon back and forth like a fire hose, as other streams joined them. The twisted soldiers of the enemy were vaporized almost instantly, reduced to ash and dust. But the demonic creatures remained for a short time, and some even made it to where the troopers were holding out. Weapons fire drove them back, and the officer jumped up and decapitated one. Small jets of black ichor flowed up from where the wound had not been completely cauterized.

The man gasped suddenly, and looked to the horizon.

"Take cover!" he screamed.

Sonic saw white, and then the scene changed again. He gawked again. Blackness surrounded him. The pale motes of starlight filled his vision as far as he could see. Spinning around, he noticed a planet behind him. Red, seemingly barren, its surface glowing white hot in some places and faint mushroom clouds visible on its surface. He saw the battle rage, and could only imagine what manner of Armageddon was occurring down there.

Then he noticed something else. Off further away, towards the center of the system, a battle raged. He looked at it faintly, trying to focus upon it. He could see nothing except the occasional flare of something big cooking off.

Then he screamed as a massive star ship raced towards him. Where had it come from? He barely had time to think. One moment nothing was in front of him save for space, the second there was a massive, sharp angled hunk of metal screaming towards him.

A flash, and he was inside of the thing. Panting, certain that he had soiled himself, he looked about. Dozens of men and women stood hunched over control panels, and in the center, on a raised platform in front of another station, was an officer. He wore a black and red uniform, seemingly made of leather. A long, slitted coat with a high collar dominated it, reaching almost up to the back of the billed hat he wore.

"Commisar, scanners indicate another enemy fleet dropping in, looks like a full fledged battle group, hundreds of ships." a female voice called out from behind Sonic.

The man turned and sonic got his first glimpse at one of these creatures. At first he thought it an Overlander, but then he realized they couldn't be. The hands had only four fingers, and the boots outlined three distinctive toes. Most surprising of all were the eyes of the man, though. They were like his. White, ethereal.

"Distance to target?" he folded his hands behind his back.

"Thirty million kilometers."

"Get us to within nine hundred thousand and then open up with the pulsar batteries. Comscan?"

"Already on it sir, the rest of the fleet knows about them. The Admiral is sparring what he can, but most of them are still tangled up with the original enemy task force." Another voice responded. Sonic detected a note of nervousness in it.

"Show me."

The view faded again. He was on another ship, this one was different. Or at least, it seemed so. He was in a large chamber of some sort, with a high domed ceiling. Runes marked the walls and seemed to glow and pulse in time with some otherworldly heartbeat, almost making it feel as if the room was alive. His eyes were draw to something in the center. It was a figure of someone, another one of these creatures. She was bent down, as if in prayer. Hair, long and dark, pooled over her shoulders, and he felt a stirring inside of himself. Something he couldn't quite place.

She was whispering something, he couldn't make it out, and so he kept staring at her. The he gasped. He'd seen her before in his dreams, seen the silver-blue armor covered her body. He recalled flashes of this individual, faintly, the notion that he should know who she was… but the knowledge lapped just out of reach of his conscious memory. The hedgehog focused on her armor once again, hoping to derive something from it. It was elegant and ornately carved, making it seem more like a ceremonial suit than anything else. The shoulder pauldrons were shaped to resemble the head and wings of some kind of bird of prey, and the back of the armor sported angelic wings that were similar to the silver armored warrior he'd seen earlier. Other alien symbols, creatures foreign to him, and some strange crystal decorated the suit, and he had no idea what the writing on it was supposed to mean.

There was something else odd as well. He felt power from her, overwhelming in its intensity, and again, hauntingly familiar. Slowly, she stopped her whispering, and looked up.

Eyes that burned like a star met him, and he stepped backwards. The raw power flowed over the hedgehog, and for a moment, he feared that he would die, destroyed by the intensity of her gaze.

* * *

He awoke with a gasp, covered in a cold sweat. It took a moment for him to realize that he was back in Stonehenge, and not on some strange ship or on a battlefield. Breathing deeply, he managed to calm himself down and focus, as objects around him were starting to rattle, and he didn't want to wake the Clones that were sleeping.

He stretched his mechanical limbs out, and placed his head in his hands. That wasn't the first time that he'd had dreams like that. They were always the same. They were about death, those strange aliens, their demonic foes. And that woman. Always she was in it, though that was the first time he'd seen her without her helmet on.

His stomach rumbled faintly and he rose to his feet. He had other things to worry about now, than these bizarre nightmares. Namely, one last dry run and briefing with his comrades. Then it was time to bail out an old friend.

* * *

As he walked into the Ops Center, the ARC trooper looked around at the group of three dozen Clones in front him. Twelve were Cuy'val Dar, two were pilots, four specially trained heavy weapons troopers, another four were assault troopers, two marksmen, and the remaining ten the best riflemen that he'd gathered from the liberated Clones. They were in their armor as usual, except for Bendark. To a normal person, it would have been a confusing jumble of looking at the same set of faces and wondering who was who. He didn't have that problem. He could sense their minds, their personalities. Each was unique, a person. A soul.

He pulled up the data that Sally had given him. It wasn't much more than for looks, though. They'd spent the past ten days running through the complex so many times on the holodecks that the location of every hallway, blast door, security check point and ventilation duct was etched into their memory. He'd found it frightening, almost, at how much they were able to remember.

"Okay, let's go over this one more time, people," Sonic said. He glanced to Bendark, the only individual face now, colored a solid black, his eyes now gold instead of blue, and his muzzle sporting temporary synthetic fur and flesh that made it look wider than it really was. "Sal's made all the arrangements, and you're set to depart for the Gulag in twelve hours. You've got your papers, right?"

"Yep," he nodded and held up a folder. "For the duration of this mission, I am one John Smith. Raised in Caldera, twenty one years old. I played soccer in high school, was a third row trumpet player my senior year, and I've served a number of police stations since then."

"Good. Nicole's been monitoring all the out coming chatter regarding their background checks on you, and she assures me they were all redirected to Rotor or my old man, so we're solid on that." Sonic looked at him poignantly. "You know what to do when you arrive?"

"Once there, I find the target, send the signal, and enjoy my brief period of lording over others, right?" The wolf's eyebrows raised themselves a little bit, and he grinned impishly, pointing to his teeth. One of his rear molars had been replaced with a fake one that had a tiny transmitter inside of it.

"Correct. Once thirty hours have passed, we'll hit the prison," the ARC trooper nodded. "It'll be the graveyard shift then, so we'll have less resistance in the opening few minutes. However, we'll be on station for twelve hours prior to that, so if you get into trouble, give us an alert and we'll come in."

"Gotcha."

"Shysa, you'll be operating in tandem with Gaius's squad," He looked to the other Cuy'val Dar commander, the one in charge of the squads that had attacked Tails. "There are eleven of you, and that should be enough for this. Sal's data points to there being almost three hundred guards for the prison, but for the most part they're only packing B-5's."

"Nuts, I knew I shouldn't have buffed my armor earlier, those things will mess up the paintjob." The husky moaned and mockingly brought her palm to her face.

"Yeah, we're all aware of just how effective police weapons are against neosteel, no need to remind us." Sonic gave a chuckle and smiled. Memories of Knothole suddenly flooded him. "What you will have to watch out for are those guys carrying T-21, which I guarantee they'll bring out as soon as they figure out who we are."

They nodded. The T-21 was a heavy squad assistance weapon, worn in a harness and assisted via computer controlled servos. The idea had been turn out an extremely effective battlefield weapon capable of high rates of fire, accuracy, and long range. However, it had proven too expensive for mass production. In a prison like that, though, a small niche for it had been found.

"That's why me and the others are carrying shields, right?" Kelborn said, crossing his massive arms over his chest.

"Right," Sonic nodded. "You'll be leading the assault. The four of you carrying blast shields make sure to stay between our team and anyone carrying one of those things. The others will use flashbangs and gas grenades to take the guards down." He turned to one of the normal troopers, a snow leopard assault trooper by the name of Marcus. If he'd had his helmet on, Sonic's HUD would have shown the rank of a lieutenant next to the trooper's vital information.

"Mark, we need you and your squads to hold the landing zone until we get back. Neutralize the guard towers and drop the guards, but remember," he looked around to everyone, "stunning rounds only. We don't want the bodies of a bunch of massacred prison guards showing up on the six o'clock news. That would not make for swell PR, as we're supposed to be the good guys in all of this."

"Expected duration of operation is fifteen minutes, correct?" the leopard remarked.

"That's correct. If it goes longer than that, we'll let you know. Remember to use those generators to make certain they don't rush you." Sonic paused for a moment and took in the sight before him. These people were looking to him to guide them, and he fought to keep his nervousness from showing. How had Sally managed to do this almost every day for seven years?

He shook his head. Now was no time for self doubt. His soul mate would not have been pleased. Even now, he could envision the princess frowning at him and tapping her foot. The image brought a smile to his face, and he longed to embrace her and his daughter once more.

Reality reminded him of his duties to her and he snapped back.

"Everyone clear?" he asked.

As one, the Clones nodded.

"Good, let's move it out!"

* * *

Bendark glanced around as he set down on the landing pad. The wind bit at him, but he welcomed it. For once in his life, the wolf felt himself overcome with a feeling of somberness. Concord Dawn was three hundred kilometers away. He was within spitting distance of the cold rocks where his kind had been born.

He picked up his bag and started towards the prison gates. Behind him, the transport lifted off.

The large doors opened and he saw a small group of guards, along with the warden.

"Welcome to the Gulag, Smith." The lynx extended a hand. Bendark took it while he gazed around at his surroundings. "Not everyday we get a transfer to work in the Pit, but you're record's rather exceptional."

"Thank you, Sir." The Clone smirked inwardly. "When do I go on shift?"

"Right now. Give me your bags and I'll have them taken to your room. Marty here will show you around." He gestured to a small, somewhat elderly mouse. The wolf noticed that his outfit was different from the guard uniforms, orange rather than blue, with a serial number rather than a name.

"Double homicide," the mouse said, adjusting the glasses on his face. "Long time ago."

"You supplement your forces with the prisoners?" Ben raised an eyebrow. That seemed unwise.

"Those that have made attempts to correct themselves, yes." Kyle held up a hand. "I know what you're thinking, but don't worry. We don't trust them with anything important, and they always operate with a guard."

The wolf said nothing, but just kept looking at the mouse as the rest of the guards went back about their duties. As they were left alone, the small man's eyes roamed over the younger guard.

"Great Goddess in heaven, what do they feed you kids these days?" he asked.

Bendark arched an eyebrow.

"Sorry, its just we don't get too many people built like some kind of commando showing up here. I wonder if that's why they thought of assigning you to the Pit on your first day here." Marty shook his head.

The Mandalorian chuckled. It had been one of their worries when they'd planned this Op. Clones, much like their templates, had had their bodies chemically enhanced, and the way his muscles moved and were shaped, there would be no mistaking him for anything other than a soldier.

"What can I say, you never know when a little extra muscle power might be useful." He shrugged as the convict started to head down the hallway. A brief recollection and he realized they were heading for the armory.

"What, you actually had to fight people? I'd reckon just looking at you would be enough to entice someone to surrender." Marty chuckled, a sound that the Clone found odd.

"You seem awfully lighthearted for someone condemned to this hellhole," he looked down at the mouse, who simply shrugged.

"Some of us are smart enough to realize that it was our choices in life that landed us here. I was one of those people." He paused as they rounded the corner, and licked his lips. "We can't take back what we've done, but causing more trouble is not the solution to our problems. Instead, we try to make ourselves useful."

"How do the other prisoners take this?"

"You can imagine it makes us rather unpopular with the more hardened people here. Nack in particular has a special hatred for us." The mouse shivered for a moment or two.

"Nack?" The wolf racked his brain. Something about that name seemed familiar.

"He runs the Pit. Think of him as sort of the mafia boss around here," Marty said, pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. "I'm not the first one to get death threats from the weasel."

"You're worried about that?" Bendark detected a note of uneasiness in his voice.

"Well, John, let's just say that he's been able to make good on one or two of those promises, but the bastards always smart enough that its never traced back to him." The mouse shuddered again, more visibly this time, and the wolf thought he saw the start of a cold sweat on the mouse's forehead.

There was an awkward silence that lasted until after he'd picked up his weapon and been issued his body armor.

The Clone couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with it. It was a long sleeved vest with plates over the chest and armored trousers, the kind of stuff that would have been issued to a third world militia back before the Great War. No helmet, no sensors, onboard medical systems, jetpack, or built in weapons.

He felt naked.

"You get used to wearing it after a while," Marty told him, misunderstanding the look on his face.

"Why are we issued popguns, out of curiosity?" he looked at the B-5 in his hands.

"They can still kill, so don't call them that," the mouse shook a finger at him. "They also can't penetrate this armor very well, so if, Goddess forbid, one of those nutbags ever got their hands on one, there'd be a limit to what they could do."

"I see." He wasn't convinced. He'd trade this gear for his old suit and his grenadier model Jurkadir rifle in a heartbeat.

"Come on, the Pit's this way." Marty turned and headed back out of the armory, waving good bye to the guards there.

* * *

Antoine heard someone shuffle past him and he tensed and coiled his wrist, ready to strike if the need should arise and release the homemade blade he had stuck up his sleeve. Nothing came of it though, and so the former general relaxed. It had been seven days since his arrival here, and he was still expecting to get jumped at any moment. Nack had promised that no harm would come to him so long as he 'respected the chain of command,' but considering the reputation that the weasel had amassed during his career, the Antoine trusted him about as far as he could throw him.

Still, the prisoners had been unusually complacent. There hadn't been any fights or scraps since the two thugs that had tried to jump him. Antoine had been confused about that, as they seemed the kind of people to enjoy a throw down. That, and Nack had seemed almost cheerful, odd for a man condemned to this joint for the rest of his life. It made him nervous. His sixth sense tingled from time to time. Something was going to happen, but what he didn't know.

He was about to go in and try to get some rest on his cot, when he heard the sound of the main pressure door opening. He looked up and saw a pair of guards enter through it. One of them he recognized. Marty, one of the inmates. The other one was someone he'd never seen before. Then he shrugged to himself. What was one guard compared to another? They would all blur together until they became one anonymous face, if he didn't go mad first.

He went inside and threw himself down upon his cot. The thing was hard as a pile of dried permacrete, but at least it beat the floor. The Goddess only knew what was on that rusted junk heap.

Up above, Bendark looked around the massive, arena sized room.

"Well, here's the Pit," Marty said. The old mouse looked up at the massive wolf next to him. "I still can't imagine what they were thinking, sticking a green rookie down here. You're higher ups must have a lot of faith in you, John."

"I suppose they do," he said quietly. Inwardly, though, he rolled his eyes. Rookie? He probably had more training and actual combat experience than everyone one in this prison put together. These men had trained on a shooting range. He'd gone up against older Clones, and the Templates themselves. Most of these men would have been weaned on street thugs and petty criminals. Maybe the occasional serial killer or two. He'd cut his teeth on elite Mobian guards.

He looked out over the edge, but couldn't spot his quarry. Bendark looked over to Marty, "I'd like to go down."

The mouse blinked behind his glasses, and then looked at him like he was insane.

"What?" both of them turned to see a cougar looking at them. "Hey, guys, the rookie wants to check out the pit."

Laughter from the other six guards reached Bendark's ears, and the wolf frowned. He needed to get down there, one way or the other, and search for his quarry, as well as get a good layout for how the interior of the Pit was constructed. He looked over to Marty, and raised an eyebrow. The inmate sighed and glanced to the other guards. The chortled and nodded, and he moved towards the lift controls.

"Don't worry, Greenie, we'll cover your back from up here," the cougar said.

"Why do you want to do this?" Marty asked.

"Curiosity."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you know." The mouse shook his head.

"Nah, ignorance killed the cat, curiosity just got the blame." The wolf laughed and then moved onto the lift.

He checked the settings and readout on his carbine as the doors shut behind him. The tiny weapon felt strange in his hands. It wasn't much bigger than a Neo Crusader's bolt pistol, but it packed a significantly smaller punch. He had to remember the old convict's words though, it could still kill. It was something of a lesson, he supposed. If your adversary was unarmored, you didn't need a weapon capable of shooting straight through a permacrete wall to kill them. Given the quality of his armor, he supposed it would be a blessing, rather than a curse in the long run.

The doors opened in front of him, and the Clone stepped out into the Pit. Conversations and work stopped among the prisoners as they stared at him. Dozens of eyes roamed over him, sizing him up and assessing his threat. The wolf ignored them, though. They weren't what he was looking for. Slowly, he started to pace around the depression, his eyes scanning, looking for the coyote. He saw no sign of him at first, and so he started to slowly pace around the perimeter of the area. Some of the more burly prisoners followed him, and he mentally kept track of where they were, his ears and warrior instincts plotting their positions relative to his own. He could see the other guards up above, moving around and keeping an eye on him. But if it came down to a melee scrap, he was certain they wouldn't shoot out of fear of hitting him. He was on his own.

Another wolf came up near him. It was an artic, covered in white fur. The two stared eye to eye for a moment, and then he kept moving. The canine fell in line behind him though. The Clone's ear swiveled to track him, as there had been a glint to those eyes. Something dangerous, barely controlled, lurked inside of that Mobian. He was attracting quite a following now, and he knew why. It was not very often that guards came down into here for anything other than to haul someone off to the med bay. For one of them to be walking around and making a tour, a new one especially, was unheard of. For some reason, he felt like a piece of meat hanging in front of a butcher's shop. However, he smirked at the thought. If these thugs tried anything, they would find him a piece of meat that was capable of biting back.

He looked into the cells, searching for Antoine. Where could he be?

"It's surprising to see one of your kind down here."

Bendark looked over his shoulder and saw it was the wolf that had addressed him. He ignored him and kept moving.

"You really should get back up topside before something happens. Something unpleasant." He continued.

"You mean the stench that you're assaulting me with now?" the Clone asked with an arched eyebrow. "I would have figured you'd have more common courtesy for another wolf. You know how sensitive our noses are."

The wolf barred his fangs and growled, but the Cuy'val Dar simply rolled his eyes.

_I've stared the Angel of Death himself in the face, gone toe to toe with his avatar, and you think your threats can scare me? _He wondered mentally. Granted, Sonic had beaten the ever loving osick out of him, and quickly at that, but still, these thugs would be nothing compared to the ARC trooper.

He found himself almost wishing that he could watch his commander in action against these people.

Jaster and the other templates had instilled many virtues into their unusual children. Honor, courage, faith in one's comrades, loyalty, and respect. These… creatures, held none of those. They were the worst kind of scum. They were murders, sadists, psychos. Bendark felt his adrenaline surge, like he was headed into a combat zone. The Clone almost wished one of them would try something, but then he shook his head and returned to his task. As enjoyable as the idea of dispensing some Mandalorian flavored justice to these people was, he had a more important job that he needed to do right now. He had to find Antoine.

"You think you're funny, do you?" The wolf's words were distorted by his rage.

Bendark squinted. There was someone in the cell ten meters in front of him. The man was lying down, possibly asleep, but it looked like a coyote. He moved forward to get a better look.

"I'm talking to you!" the Clone felt a hand on his shoulder.

Instinct took over. He reached up with his left hand, grabbed the wolf's, and then yanked. He hunched his muscles forward and put every ounce of power he had behind the throw. The man went over his shoulder flipped twice, and landed on the ground.

Another set of arms smashed into the Clone, and he lost his grip on his carbine. Snarling, he reached down and fastened his hands around his attacker. The girl gave a yelp as she was torn off and spun around. A badger that was coming up behind her had enough time to gape as his comrade was turned into an impromptu club. The two of them smashed together and went down.

Two more jumped at Bendark as the wolf was about to dive for his gun. He went down low, sweeping the legs of the first out from underneath him, before leaping up and extending his left leg. At the same time, he caught a clumsily launched blow from the other convict, before driving his fist into the man's chest. Bones snapped and both went down. Another one charged in, only to find that the wolf had ducked out of the way. Bendark's fist connected with the man's ribcage a moment later. He howled and went down, clutching at his wound. A female lynx launched herself at the Clone. The wolf caught her in mid-flight, rolled backwards with her, and then planted a foot in her gut and kicked her away. He flipped back up to his feet and made another dash for his gun.

Before anything else could happen though, shots were fired from above. The prisoners backed off and glared up at the guards. Slowly, though, they backed away, their hate filled gazes torn between the ones above, and the strange newcomer who had just dropped seven of them.

Bendark once again ignored them. He picked up his weapon, and then tried to take a quick look to see if the man that he was searching for was around here.

The coyote that he'd seen was up, standing just in front of the wolf that had picked the fight with him. It was indeed General D'Coolette. The former commander was looking right at him. Bendark recognized a look of deep contemplation. The cogs in the General's brain were moving, he could tell. Suddenly, Antoine's eyes widened and his jaws opened slightly. The Clone understood that look too: recognition. Despite the fur dye, iris coloring, facial makeup and alterations, the Mobian still somehow recognized him for what he was.

Bendark smirked and gave the General a wink, before he turned around and headed back towards the lift. The cougar and Marty were both there, the former looking angry, the latter nervous.

"That, Greenie, is why we don't go down in the Pit," the guard said. "Now we've got to haul their butts over to the med lab and give them medication and bacta. That stuff's hard to come by out here."

"Apologies, Sir, I didn't expect that one man to be so bold."

"Well, that's what Drago's like," Marty said, his voice quite, quavering almost. "He's Nack's second, and doesn't like his authority being challenged by anyone."

"I see," Bendark said as he took his place by the mouse. "So what's he in for?"

"Armed robbery, murder, the usual."

"I see." The Mandalorian looked back over his shoulder. The wolf was picking himself up off the ground. Even from here, he could see his eyes burning like coals, hate that would melt ice if such things were possible.

Bendark just smiled at the thought of how he had so easily bruised the convict's pride. The thought was fleeting though. As swells as it had felt, there were more important things to worry about. He had established the location of General D'Coolette, and now it was time for him to send the signal. He clicked his teeth together three times in rapid succession, sending off the short band burst. The signal was weak, and hopefully wouldn't be picked up by the prison's transcomm network.

Now he just had to wait. In thirty short hours, they would be arriving, and it would be time to blow this joint.

As the guards hauled off those who'd been injured, Antoine tried to keep himself from hyperventilating. His research into the Mandalorians had ranged far and wide, from culture and history, to their various weapons and armor over the ages. One thing he'd found out about was a unique brand of martial arts they'd developed. One part jujitsu, one part kick boxing, one part barroom brawling, the style could be used to either disable or kill, depending on the mood of the user.

That wolf had performed distinctive moves from it, and the way he'd done it so seamlessly indicated that he hadn't learned it from a book. The man's build, his strange, almost surreal sense of calm as well, and the wink. Antoine recognized the Clone Trooper beneath the disguise.

But why? What would one of those soldiers be doing here? The former General mulled over the possibilities as he made his way back to his cot. Once there he placed his hand against the sleeve of his jumpsuit, feeling the blade hidden there. He had the sinking feeling that he was going to need it soon.

* * *

Back in Mobotropolis, Sally sat on the edge of Saria's bed. The little girl was sleeping peacefully, her covers rising and falling with her breathing. A faint smile pulled at the elder princess' mouth, and she bent down and placed a kiss against her temple.

"Goodnight," she whispered, before she rose up from where she was.

She walked back into her room and ran her hands along the wall. An eternity ago, it seemed, they were shattered and pocked with craters as a group of genetically engineered soldiers had stormed into her life. She remembered the rage that had swelled within her heart as she watched them chase after her daughter and haul them off. She could still feel Shadow's mind probing, his hand on her face. She shuddered, and thought of the strange twists that reality always seemed to hand her.

Sonic had sent her a message earlier. The same black ops troopers that had stolen her and her daughter away were about to head out and reclaim one of her friends from the depths of the Devil's Gulag. They were about to make history, breach the unbreachable, and walk away with its newest prisoner right underneath Geoffrey's over sized nose. Once more, she frowned as she thought about the skunk.

Bunnie had told her that he'd assumed the duties of the commander of the armies. It was a slap to the princess' face, and but she would see who got the last laugh. He was set to give a big official speech soon. Only a few hours after it was over, if all went as planned, then Sonic would deliver the biggest possible blow to that egomaniac's pride.

She opened her door, nodded to the squad of guards that were just outside, and then headed down the corridor. It took her about three minutes to reach where Bunnie and Antoine lived. A gentle knock, and a few moments later the door opened.

Her friend had rings under her eyes, and bloodshot veins filled the whiteness. It was evident that Bunnie had been crying. Sally stepped in and the door shut behind her.

"They're moving out," she whispered. "One of them already found Antoine, and Sonic just let me know that they're initiating their final steps."

"Don't suppose there's room on that transport for one more?" the rabbit asked. "I want to spring him out of there myself."

"Would if we could, Bunnie… but you know that none of us can be connected to this, or you can bet that Geoff would use it to further undermine everything we've been working for." She laid a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Doesn't mean I have to like it. I want nothing more than to go in there, get my husband back, and then crush that little black and white scumball with my own two hands!" she clenched her fists, and the servos of her cybernetic hand whirred violently.

"While I wouldn't mind seeing that happen either, you have to think of Guy."

"I know, Sally-girl, but I'm worried about him," she looked up at the princess. "You know what kind of stuff goes on in there."

"Look, Bunnie, if you and Sonic were able to sneak in and grab Saria and me from a Neo Crusader base, then the Gulag will be child's play," Sally smiled once again. It was somber, but hopeful. "But we have to help them from here."

"Planning the defenses?"

"Right," Sally glared down at the floor. "Since my brother has firmly told me that he has no desire to have the crown, and I don't trust Geoffrey any farther than I can throw him, someone's got to try and make sure that Shadow doesn't get in here. I think that's going to be my job."

"Well, I guess I better wish you good luck then, you're probably going to need it." The rabbit placed her chin in the palms of her hands.

"I just might, Bunnie." Sally said and folded her arms. It would be the hardest defensive operation she'd ever tried, but she would do it, she would have to.

Shadow had taken her daughter from her once. He would not do so again.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, hope that was good for you all. I'm hoping to speed up the next chapter, and maybe have it out in a week or so, school cooperating. At any rate, hope you all have a great day, and as always, reviews, critiques, and flames from all walks of life are more than welcomed.

Till next time, take care.


	25. Uprising

Well, hello again everyone. Nice to see you all. Another week of testing, exams, and writing exercises survived. At any rate, I'm once again glad to have received feedback from you guys, and I hope that my replies were adequate.

As always, to everyone who has read this story, I give you my sincerest thanks, and hope that I haven't caused an aneurism.

Lawyers: You know the drill.

That said, in a bit of a rush here, so let's get this show on the road.

* * *

&

* * *

Uprising

The coyote sat in his cell, his hands twitching nervously. There was something in the air now, something that he could feel. Sweat drenched his fur as he laid back down, once again trying to get some sleep.

Sleep did not come though, the warrior in him refused to allow it. It demanded that he remain awake and be observant. Being vigilant in a combat situation was the only thing that stood between a soldier and death. The primal soldier that lurked within his body refused to let that happen. It didn't care that one way or the other, that he would be dying in here, whether it be from one of the thugs or from old age, it simply screamed 'survive' to him.

And so survive he would.

He caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye and snapped over to it. He saw Drago, as big and menacing as ever, moving around. The wolf was headed for Nack's cell. Why, he couldn't fathom, but at the moment, he didn't care. It didn't concern him.

* * *

Back in the guards' quarters, most of the men and women of the gulag were asleep. It was one A.M. after all. One person, however, remained awake. Bendark looked around, his eyes roaming over the rest of the guards. He looked down at his watch and confirmed the time. Less than two hours now until Sonic and the others would roll in. It was probably a good point in time for him to get into position. He'd popped a powdered stimulant an hour or so earlier, smuggled in an Alka-Seltzer pack. He'd be good to go for another eighteen hours before he even started to feel sleepy again. He had also placed a small bead comlink in his left ear, to be able to communicate between him and his fellows during the attack.

The wolf twisted suddenly, and headed out of the door. It opened automatically for him, and from there, he began to make his way to the armory. The boys there wouldn't mind him showing up. An extra guard on duty was always a welcomed thing.

* * *

"Okay, now does everyone understand what we're doing?" the weasel asked as he looked around at the twenty or so people in front of him. They were his most trusted and most capable enforcers, people who would go above and beyond for him.

They nodded silently, and he grinned, baring his namesake tooth.

"Good, now, supply check." He smirked again. "Shanks?"

The prisoners held their knives up, several of them balanced for throwing.

"Ladder components?"

They gestured around to where everything was.

"Braces?"

Drago smiled and hefted a large metal pole. Nack just grinned.

"Well, then, let's get this show on the road, shall we?"

* * *

The wind howled just outside of the drop ship, but it could not breach the walls of the LAATs. Sonic and his Clones were gathered in close around inside of the two gun ships.

"Supply check." The ARC trooper looked around. "Ion cannon?"

"Check." Marcus held up a large, menacing looking bazooka device.

"Blast charges?"

"Thermal, door breach, ECM." Viszla tapped her supply belt.

"Computer interface devices?"

"Check." Shysa gestured to her gear.

"Bendark's battle gear?"

"Armor, rifle, grenades." Kelborn said, shifting part of a large sack on his back.

"Stun grenades?"

"Three per person, as per orders." Adrian confirmed.

"Medical supplies?"

"Two kits per squad." Shysa nodded.

"Okay," he smiled behind his helmet. "Looks like we're going to be good to go."

* * *

Nack watched from his cell as his men and women moved out. He had to resist the urge to leap up and rush to the doorway. That would only attract attention. Stealth was what was needed right now. He'd waited too long for this moment. He wasn't about to blow it by being impatient at the thirteenth hour.

The six guards never saw it coming. The selected prisoners moved out into the Pit, their carefully honed and crafted weaponry hidden on their persons. They moved into position, and then as one, struck.

For months they had practiced these moves in secret, and it paid off for them in the next few moments. Metal blades sunk up to their hilts into the patrolling guard members. As one, they staggered, clutching chests and throats, their eyes wide in panic and disbelief.

"Move!" Nack ordered from down below.

The groups of prisoners that he'd chosen rushed forward, carrying ladder components that they'd made with bits of rusty pipes. They were hastily assembled in route, and by the time they reached the walls, they had one high enough to reach the top. Two grabbed the base and braced it while the others rushed up to the top.

Once there, Drago rushed for the door, a large metal brace held in his massive arms. He reached the portal, and jammed it into the gear mechanisms of the blast door, jamming it tightly.

Already, the six guards had had their corpses stripped of security cards, weapons, and body armor. The armed prisoners would still stand out like sour thumbs, due to their jumpers, but it was protection nonetheless.

And they didn't stop there.

Nack, now brandishing a carbine and a pistol, grinned fiendishly as the alarm sounded. Someone finally noticed them. They had inadvertently just sealed their fates.

He'd been planning this for months, carefully smuggling out messages, alerting others to his plans. As soon as the alarms sounded, the signal to stroke went out. Guards standing in front of prison cells were hit with blades, garrotes, or clubs as other prisoners began their uprising. Their keys were then fished off their bodies the doors to the cells were thrown open.

* * *

Back in the pit, Antoine watched what had unfolded with horror. His fur stood completely on end, and he frantically tried to keep his wits. He had been ignored for now, the rest of the prisoners too eager to take advantage of their newfound freedom to think of what to do about him, or where his loyalties might lie.

He felt for his knife and was somewhat reassured by its presence. Then he took off towards the ladder that had been left. He wasn't certain how much help he could be to the guards in his current state, but he wasn't about to leave them to their fate. The Goddess only knew what was in store for those people if the felons managed to crack open an armory station.

* * *

As the alarms blared Bendark stiffened. He reached up for his comlink.

"Smith here, status report?"

"Prison riot coming form the Pit… and from sectors twenty seven, fifty four… by the Serpent, it looks like this must be a full blown insurrection!" The man on the other end of the radio replied. "Oh, hell, they just hit armory gamma!"

"The guards?"

"You don't want to know."

"Warden Renders here. Code Red, Code Red. All guards to the nearest armory. Suit up, arm up, and get ready to repel attackers," the lynx's voice had a slight quaver to it. "Lieutenants Jeffers and Young, report to my office immediately!"

With that he cut out. The wolf looked around for a moment or two, and then swore silently. He clicked his teeth together, and the tiny mike in his other ear clicked on.

"Team Leader here," Sonic's voice crackled.

"Sir, we've got a snag in the mission," the Clone said, double checking to make certain that no one was around to hear this. "Prison riot in progress, and a _big _one. Believe to be several hundred rioters, at least some of them armed and armored. If it ain't too much trouble, could we step things up just a tad?"

"Hang on Ben. Try to find Antoine and then hold up until we hit the place. Cavalry's on its way." The link died a second later, but he could already hear his commander ushering the other Clones into action.

The wolf nodded to himself, and then sprinted forward with his carbine level to his shoulder. Antoine was probably back in the Pit, so it would be best to start from there. He might run into a few of the rioters on the way, though. Staying on guard was a priority.

He heard stomping behind him, and someone calling his assumed name.

"John, wait!" It was Marty. The old convict was suited up, a carbine clutched tight in his hands. "Need backup?"

"Always welcomed," the wolf said with a nod. "Fall in."

The mouse did so, trailing along three meters behind him.

It didn't take long for the two of them to encounter resistance. As Ben rounded a corner a few minutes later. A leopard stood hunched over the body of a guard, his hands fishing through the pockets of the uniform. The Clone leveled his carbine, and fired a two shot burst. The man was dead before he hit the floor, a steaming hole in his head and throat.

He saw movement, and then ducked back behind the wall. The air became hot as the crimson bolts smacked into the wall. The wolf stuck the barrel of his weapon around the corner and let off five shots in rapid succession. Certain he had temporarily suppressed his foe, he stuck his head back out and waited.

The cat shifted out and caught a round in the arm. Yowling, the leopard rocked backwards. Fire came from around the wall, and the Mandalorian pulled back behind cover. He counted seven shots. All useless. A smirk began to form on his lips. At this rate, the man would exhaust his ammunition supply in short order. Still, he was holding him up, and it was a waste of time the Clone couldn't afford.

Bendark moved out from around the corner, and leveled his B-5. Crimson energy bolts sailed from the barrel. They hit the wall and barely left a mark as the convict ducked back. The Clone hunkered back behind his cover as well, playing the game of cat and mouse again. Seconds later, the particle beams splashed against the wall. He desperately wanted his smart linked battle rifle then. That way he could at least see what he was aiming at without having to expose himself too much. He fired blindly around the corner, and then waited for the response.

It didn't come. Instead, he heard grunting, the clatter of something hitting the ground, and then a sickening gurgle. Cautiously, he peaked around the corner, his carbine gripped tightly in both hands. His eyes widened in surprise, and then he smiled. He'd been looking for his target, and his target had just found him.

Blood dripped from a small knife, and a pool lay at Antoine's feet. The former General's cybernetic eye looked dead at him, and there was a grim, almost feral, frown on his face. Bendark chuckled and stepped out. He heard Marty gasp behind him, but he ignored it.

"General D'Coolette?" he asked as he strode up.

The coyote picked up the dead prisoner's B-5, and then looked up at the wolf.

"Who wants to know?" he pointed the weapon right between the Clone's eyes.

"MC-2308, 'Bendark' at your disposal, Sir." he saluted, and then placed a hand inside of his ear. "Bendark here, target located, will be heading to rendezvous point ASAP."

"Copy that," Sonic's voice growled over the bead comlink. "We're heading in. Ingressing in two."

"MC? Rendezvous point?" Marty muttered as he emerged from behind the corner. "What's going on here?"

"He's a Clone Trooper," Antoine's weapon was still trained on the wolf's forehead, though he noted the bulge of the mouse's eyes. "I don't know why he's here though."

"For you, Sir." Ben kept his voice calm, despite the weapon pointed at him. "I'm under orders to spring you from this hellhole."

"Whose orders?" The coyote's eyes narrowed.

"Not at liberty to discuss it at the moment, but suffice to say she's a friend, and the Op is being conducted by another old friend of yours." A smile crept over his face. "Now sir, if you will just follow me, I'll be getting you out of here."

"And the riot?" Antoine raised an eyebrow.

"Ever see what happens when a school of fish is hit by a shark?" Bendark arched an eyebrow. "Well that's what's going to happen in about one minute."

* * *

The guards manning the Gulag's towers were surprised to see a pair of LAAT gunships coming in. However, considering the circumstances, they were grateful. The ships were hailed, and the proper landing and identification codes were submitted. Once that had been done, the two ships were directed to the inner courtyard, where the defenders believed they were about to get a fresh supply of guards.

The doors opened, and the closest Gulag personnel barely had time to realize that what was pouring out of the sides of the ships were most certainly not reinforcements before they were taken down by expertly placed stunning rounds. Those in the towers saw what was happening, and attempted to man their heavy repeating blasters. However, the assault troopers began lobbing automatic fire their way, and they ducked down to avoid being hit. Those who had been targeted by marksmen weren't so lucky. Six of them dropped in as many seconds as the two snipers put stunning bolts into their unprotected heads.

"Move!" Sonic shouted as he jumped off, shrouded in his cloaking field.

"Sir, what about the prisoners?" Shysa asked as the eleven super commandos rushed for the door.

Sonic paused for just a moment as he caught up with them. He thought of what was going on in there. Bendark had told him who had gotten loose, what they were doing. His eyes narrowed, and he felt his soul harden.

"If they're in their cells, leave them alone. If they're fighting against the guards, waste them." He thought for a moment as Shysa began to work on slicing the door controls. "Just make sure you don't hit the ones on our side."

Behind him, a heavy weapons trooper used the ion cannon to knock out an automated weapon emplacement.

"Roger that, hostile prisoners cleared for live rounds." She remarked as her fingers flew over the control panel.

A few moments later, the doors hissed open. A group of three guards were inside, taking cover behind a hastily erected barricade of tables, chairs, and what appeared to be a couple of vending machines. They twisted back and looked over their shoulders. The three men had just enough time to register a look of surprise before each was dropped by a two shot burst.

"Head for the rendezvous point, I'll catch up." Sonic said as he dashed off down another corridor.

"Where are you going, sir?" Shysa called to him.

"The security command and control center," the ARC trooper responded. "Slight revision of plans: I want you and your squad to switch on your external speakers and communicate to where everyone can hear you."

"What?" she shouted, almost deafening him. That kind of an order went against every combat protocol she had ever learned.

"Trust me." She could hear the smile in her voice.

The husky hesitated for one moment, just a single second, before she sighed and switch on the speakers. She just hoped that her commander knew what he was doing. That sense of trust was there, though, the feeling she got whenever he was leading them. The feeling that anything was possible, no matter how far fetched or seemingly impossible.

"Move forward, killing house formation."

The shield carriers bunched up close together, their shields practically overlapping. Their booted feet thumped softly against the metal floor as they continued to move closer to their target. The squadron leader looked over to Gaius. The other Cuy'val Dar trooper nodded and fell in behind towards the rear of the group. If something were to take her out, he'd step in and fill her shoes.

A door opened in front of them. It was clear, no sign of prisoners or guards.

"Move!" Shysa growled, her finger against the trigger of her shotgun.

The troopers continued to press forward, their eyes constantly roaming around, their sensors checking every vibration and motion.

* * *

Tails snarled silently as he stood at attention. He was grateful for the helmet that cover his head, for no amount of self discipline would have enabled him to hide the poisoned glare he threw Geoffrey's way. He was having enough trouble as it was trying to stop his body from shaking with rage. The skunk had just thrown one of his mentors in jail, a good friend of his was in Neo Crusader hands, if he hadn't been tortured to death, half of his squad _was_ dead, and his uncle was MIA. And now he had the audacity to force him to stand here in this conference room at attention for the next two hours while he outlined his wondrous plan to drive back the Clone army.

"And by making use of long range artillery, we can deny the Neo Crusader's use of their tanks outside the city."

It had been the same pile of crap for the past hour. On and on and on about how he would drive them back and retake what was rightfully the property of the Mobian people.

_Bastard probably went snooping through Antoine's plans and found his notes and strategies. _

He continued to glare at the man's back, muttering under his breath and just wishing that he could get this over with.

* * *

A pair of feline guards sat manning the camera controls, trying desperately to contain the riot. There were just too many prisoners running amok, and the place was quickly being reduced to pockets of resistance trying to hold out against the onslaught. Still, there was yet a chance that they might turn the tide.

There was a strange pulsing noise that reached their ears, and then something smashed through the armored door to their station. Both of them gasped leapt up from where they sat, and grabbed their carbines. However, they were unprepared for what happened next.

The door fell down, smashing into the floor as it was cut from its hinges, its edges glowing white hot. Before them stood a hulking blur. Fear, icy cold and sharp as a razor, tore into their souls. They had heard the tales of Knothole, and knew what an ARC trooper was. The two men leveled their weapons, but found them torn from their grasps. Blue tinted weapons fire came from the blur and the last thing they felt was a stinging sensation creeping up their spines.

They hit the floor, out cold.

Sonic smiled as he stepped into the control room. The controls for the cameras were fairly standard and he quickly patched himself into the system network. His new objectives were two fold. First, he needed to get a signal to the outside, to alert the military to the problem that was going on here. Second, he needed to try and steer the Cuy'val Dar to where the fighting was the thickest in route to where Antoine was. The guards were going to need all the help they could get.

He patched a signal into the antenna array, and then took power from some of the security systems that the rioters had already bypassed, they were no longer necessary. That would be enough to punch through to the capital.

A smirk formed behind his helmet as he opened up a connection to one of the news channels and began hacking into their systems. Their firewalls weren't the sturdiest, at least in compression to the nightmarish defenses the Neo Crusader's used for their security.

He was pinged shortly thereafter. They had discovered him. Good. He continued to patch himself through, smashing a few algorithm based defenses in the process. Then he reached their core network. It was a simply matter then to remotely hook them up, and turn the CCTV circuitry into a broadcasting signal.

The riot was about to make breaking news. Just in time to cut into the middle of Geoff's big speech.

That accomplished, he turned his attention back to the firefighting.

"Shysa, I'm operating out of the primary security control room," he said into the comm. channel. "I can see you on the cameras. Head north twenty meters and then hang a right. There's a scrap going on in there that you guys need to clean up."

"Roger that, commander," she said, before repeating it to her squad.

Almost four thousand miles away, a news room found their weather report interrupted when scenes of the fighting came up on their screens.

Silence was met for the first few moments, as they struggled to figure out exactly what was going on. However, it did not take them long to figure it out. Even then, they just sat in stunned stillness, as did everyone who happened to be watching the program at the time.

Then things took a completely different twist. The camera cut to where a group of six soldiers were taking cover on a catwalk. There were six of them altogether, and they were outnumbered almost five to one by a gang of prisoners, though the guards did have a T-21 and were laying down suppressive fire. The stage hands and anchors whispered to one another as they debated what to do, and then an unexpected twist came up.

The door to the room was blown off of its hinges. Both sides stopped and looked just in time to see the Mandalorian soldiers come charging out of the smoke. The ones carrying blast shields advanced in first. Both sides, startled and acting on instinct, opened fire on the new intruders. However the massive slabs of metal proved utterly impervious to the fire that was coming at them. One of the Clones in the middle of the phalanx formation hurled something. The metal object arced up towards the catwalk, where it landed with a loud clank and then exploded. Noxious green and brown fumes went everywhere, and the guards began to cough and hack, clutching at their throats before they went down.

The prisoners were not so fortunate. One of the soldiers leveled a shotgun at them, and two went down in the opening blast. Blobs of super heated particle bolts tore into them and steam rose from their shattered bodies. Another grenade was lobbed into their midst. The room went white and a thunderous bang filled the air. Most fell to the ground, clutching their ears or writing around in agony.

Those who did not were swiftly cut down by the Clones' ruthlessly accurate fire. Then they headed over, and the downed prisoners were swiftly executed with a bolt through the head.

The whisperings had grown by now, murmurs and full fledged conversations. A couple of anchor's screamed for information, and the interns rushed around to try to figure out what was going on.

The Clones, meanwhile, pressed onwards.

* * *

"Excuse me." Geoffrey held up a finger, and then turned to an aid. The woman, a ferret, was panting and had burst into the large conference room just seconds earlier.

"What?" Tails heard him hiss.

Whispers followed so quiet that he couldn't make them out. He saw St. John's eyes widen comically for a moment, and then a look of stunned disbelief. He just stared at the woman. She nodded again, earnestly and frantically. It was then that the skunk stood back up.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it appears that there has been something of a development, and I have to cut this short. I'll end it by saying that you don't have to worry, and that you're in good hands." He took a stiff bow, and then hastily fled the room.

Tails just stood where he was. He hadn't been dismissed, or released from attention. Frankly, though, he was puzzled. What sort of 'development' could be so severe that the man would have cause to drop the ever important business of stroking his own ego and go running off? It didn't make any sense to the young fox, and he continued to think over it until one of the sergeants in the room got it into their heads to release the honor guard from their stances.

They immediately began to talk to one another on their private comm. lines.

"What's going on?"

"Did anyone catch the look on his face?"

"I'll try getting a hold of command, see what they know."

Mina was the first one to spot a group of people gathering around a bat that had a PDA on him. She pointed him out to Tails, and the Corporal decided to hot foot it over and see what was going on. The people made room for him, difficult considering he was in full battle armor, but he could still see what was going on on the screen.

He felt a tightness in his throat. The helmets, the powered battle armor, the distinctive kamas. Neo Crusaders.

"Where are they attacking?" he asked, as he couldn't recognize the interior facility where they were at.

"Devil's Gulag, they're saying." A female reporter whispered to him.

The fox's breath caught in his throat. That was where Antoine was. A thousand thoughts and fears bombarded his mind in that next instant. Why were they attacking there? Was Antoine hurt? What was going on?

Realizing that he had no further orders, and that his Aunts needed be made aware of this, he dashed off. Mina and Joshua saw him, and bolted after him.

* * *

Sally and Bunnie were both watching the data screen read outs in front of them. The princess had sent Saria away as soon as she realized what was up. She wished she had some means of communicating with Sonic, some way of figuring out what he was up to.

"They know we're coming," she recognized Shysa's voice. "Twenty Eight, Seven Two, door breach."

Two of the soldiers hustled forward, Vizsla was one—the Clone's stance was unmistakable—and the other one looked like Raz. An explosive was slapped on the door. Then a button was pressed. There was a crack and the pressure door slid open as its locks were destroyed. The camera switch to the corridor they had just cracked open. It was a hornet's nest. Blaster fire from guards and rioting prisoners shot up and down, scorching the walls. The hallway was wide enough for three people to move down it at a time, and that was exactly what the eleven soldiers did, still advancing forward like a phalanx. Some bolts impacted on the shields, but did nothing. Soldiers from behind them raised their weapons over the top, and the princess smiled as she understood the tactic.

Their smart link gave them a gun's eye view. They didn't even have to see the target to be able to kill it.

Stunning bolts ripped into the guards backs as they were torn between the foe at their front and this new threat coming from behind them. Some twisted and hunkered down, their carbines spitting out automatic fire. It made little difference though. They were down in seconds.

"Guards are clear, adjust rounds to lethal force," Shysa's voice was calm and clear, much like her own had been when she'd led troops.

The rioting prisoners found themselves on the business end of the Clone's sub machineguns then. Their armor, designed to stop the force of the police weapons they were carrying, was so much extra baggage when compared to the might of the Mandalorian designed guns.

"Move ahead twenty meters, and then head right," another voice crackled as the last convict fell. Sally felt the urge to laugh out loud as it clicked.

Sonic had them turn on their speakers so that anyone watching or recording this would be familiar with the tactics used in a house killing situation, the tight, inner building combat that the Cuy'val Dar were exceptionally lethal at. Giving away the secrets of the enemy.

"Told him he could use that brain if he paused long enough to think about it." Normally she would have laughed, but not now. There was too much at stake.

For a moment, she wondered if anyone would recognize his voice. Then a loud pounding on her door drew her attention to it. The ground squirrel cocked her head, and then headed over to the door. It opened as she approached, and she saw her adoptive son standing there, his helmet tucked under his arm.

"Have you…" he trailed off as he looked at the screen. "Guess so."

"Come in, all of you." She stood back and let the three soldiers in.

"Aunt Bunnie," Tails nodded in acknowledgement.

"Hey, Sugar-Fox," she said in a quiet voice, her eyes never leaving the screen. Her teeth were biting into her lips, and the fox could hear the whirring of her arm.

On the screen, the Clones entered another room, and the same procedure followed. The prisoners who were resisting were gunned down without mercy or hesitation. Then the guards were stunned. One of them remained on his feet just long enough to activate his mike and get the word out.

"Mandos, we've got Mando troopers in the prison!" he shouted right before a quartet of MP-9 stunning rounds smacked into his chest.

The commando squads moved onward, heedless of the resistance they were encountering. So far, no one had managed to even score their armor, while scores of stunned or dead bodies lay in their wake. They were cutting through everything like a blade.

"Keep pressing, we're closing in on the rendezvous point." She said.

There was a chorus of affirmatives as the squadrons regrouped.

* * *

Bendark cocked his ears as they reached the corner and let his keen hearing focus on the surrounding area. Hearing nothing out of the ordinary, he swiveled his head around and gave a brief glance down the hallway, ready to yank his head back the moment he sensed hostility.

Behind him, Marty and Antoine were pressed up against the wall, their eyes focused on the path behind them, just in case they were being followed.

"Next part's going to be tricky, I've got to sneak us by the Warden's office. Somehow, I don't think Mr. Renders will be too thrilled by the prospect of it." He looked down the hallway again. "Har'chaak, I wish I had my gear."

"You didn't plan for this?" Antoine asked.

"We ran a lot of sims for this Op, but a prison riot wasn't one of the things we thought of. I thought these guys had containment protocols for stuff like this." He shook his head. "Ahh, I need to stop whining. Let me scout ahead, if it's clear, I'll call for you."

"Approaching Warden's office," he said, activating his hidden mike.

"Be advised, Ben, I can't get a camera signal from in there… I don't like it." he heard Sonic's voice.

"Will take that under advisement, commander. Keeping the channel open, you'll know if anything happens."

With that, he was around the corner. His carbine was steady in his powerful grip, and he moved doubled over to present a smaller target. Everything was clear, no sign of hostility. At least until he reached the door to Kyle's office.

He heard muffled voices and a groan of pain. Double checking to make certain that the route ahead of him was clear, he pressed his ear against he metal door and listened. He heard the groan again, and what sounded like a yell. Adrenaline began to pulse through him, and he checked the watch on his wrist. Less than three minutes before his comrades were scheduled to arrive.

What should he do? It sounded like Renders' defenses had been overrun. His first priority was Antoine, but what about the guards? Several had already been killed, and it was within his ability to help them. One sentence entered his mind: What would Sonic do?

The timber wolf nodded then. His choice was clear. Would the door provide sufficient cover? He wondered.

Gunfire erupted, from back the way he'd come.

He snapped backwards as a couple of crimson bolts splashed against the wall. All other thoughts left the Mandalorian, and he rushed back, only to find his charge and Marty held at gunpoint, and no less than six armed prisoners there. The escaped convicts tightened their grips on their prisoners, and dug their weapons harder into them to illustrate their point. Bendark swore softly, and then let his gun fall to the floor.

"Lookie what we have here," a rat remarked, snickering as he motioned for everyone to move forward. "One hero, a pig, and a sell out. Heh, the boss is going to love to have a chat with you." He gestured with his gun. "Move."

Their hands raised, they did as they were ordered.

Sonic had heard everything, and cursed silently.

"Shysa, pick up the pace, we've had a complication."

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Okay, hope everything is going well so far. Sorry about the short chapter, but I wanted to go ahead and update for you guys. Expect more soon, though.

As always, feedback is most welcomed, especially constructive criticism. I need to improve, and that's the only way to do it. Questions, flames, and jokes are also accepted everywhere.

Until next time though, have a great day, and stay safe.


	26. Nothing Ever Goes According To Plan

Hello again to everyone. Sorry, I know its been a while since I've updated, but things have been a little hectic. I've had the past week off from school, finally, and its been a mad dash to see and hangout with my old friends now that they're also back from college, and my family, as well as see some movies I've missed while out at school.

Also, apologies, but Hotmail's being stupid again, and I've lost most of the reviews. I've been replying by PM as possible, but if I didn't respond to you, let me know and I'll answer your questions. Along those lines, I want to once again thank everyone who has taken the time to read the story, and I hope that you are all enjoying it.

Lawyers: You know the drill.

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* * *

Nothing Ever Goes According To Plan

Sonic frowned as he heard what transpired between Bendark, Antoine and the prisoners. Shysa and the others were heading that way, but their progress was being slowed down by all of the fighting that was between them and their comrade. The cybernetic hedgehog rubbed a finger against his chin and looked at all the controls. He snapped his fingers and his hands flew over the keyboard in front of him. It took only a few seconds for him to program the camera signals to switch along the rooms and corridors that the commando team would be using.

Satisfied with his work, Sonic nodded, and then bolted out of the room.

* * *

Bendark's eyes roamed over the area as he was hauled into the Warden's Office.

Kyle Render's office was fairly Spartan in its set up. There was a picture, an old fashioned chemical based one, sitting on his desk. Bendark presumed it was his family. Aside from that, the most luxurious thing present was a padded chair and a bit of redwood paneling. The Warden himself occupied that chair at the moment. He had apparently be the subject of much entertainment by the rioting prisoners. His face was bruised and bloodied, one eye swollen shut. Nack was right behind him, a fair amount of red liquid coating his knuckles. A group of half a dozen body guards flanked him, armed with carbines and pistols.

"How does it feel now that the tables have turned, Warden?" The weasel asked, before punching the lynx across the temple. Weakly, Renders stared back, his eye still focused, trying to blink out the blood that was streaming into it.

"How does it feel to be the one caged like an animal?" This time the blow was across his jaw. "Huh?" The hit man grabbed the chair using it as leverage as he drove his knee into the Warden's chest. "Not so tough without that gun, are you?"

Bendark noticed something else then, too. Drago was also over to the fair side, a smirk on his face. Lieutenant Jeffers, a female squirrel, was gagged at his feet, her armor stripped and her uniform torn. He caught the predatory look in the wolf's eyes, and glared.

"_Huttine_." He muttered with a scowl.

Nack must have heard the insult. He paused his beating, cocked his head to one side and gave the timber wolf a curious look. Then he turned to the guards that had escorted them in.

"Nice job, now go cause some more trouble." He shooed them away. The six bodyguards moved in and secured the three prisoners. Bendark felt a B-5 pressed into his back. Mistakes number one and two.

"What's your plan, Nack?" Antoine asked, exchanging a glance with the Clone.

The weasel turned and looked at the former general. A smirk formed on his face, and he shook his head.

"What does it look like, General D'Coolette?" He laughed, a grating sound that made Bendark want to plug his ears. "You're a military officer, I would think you would recognized a coup d'etat when you saw one." He looked back over to where Renders was restrained. "It's simple, really. We kill a bunch of people, take some more hostage, establish control, and then appeal to the will of the people to give us what we want or we start killing people."

He paced over, looking down at Marty. The mouse tried to remain defiant, but there was a hint of fear in his face that he couldn't hide. Nack just chuckled again.

"Once we have their attention, we request transport out of here, and then we all just… disappear." He snapped his fingers. "A lot of us have bank accounts that were never seized because the pigs couldn't find them. Give me two weeks, and I'll be back in action. New face, new eyes, new fingerprints, the whole nine yards."

"And you really think that the Princess will let you do that? She'll end this by sending in a military strike force," Bendark growled. "She's not the kind to negotiate with scum."

"Well, now, I remember you," the weasel said as he moved forward, pausing just long enough to give Renders one more punch upside the head. "You were the one who came in and smacked around some of my boys and girls." He rubbed his chin and muttered something under his breath. "You're probably right, buddy. Sally would come in here and kill us all, because she knows what I'd be doing if I got back out. Therefore, I'd say it's a really good thing that it's that moron of a brother of hers that's calling the shots, rather that her. Wouldn't you agree?"

_The irony here is so thick I could cut it with a Zhaboka. _The Clone thought to himself. _O wonder what he'd think if he knew just what was going on…_

He heard the distinct sound of a pistol being drawn from its holster. "Before I kill you, there is one thing I really do want to know. Who are you, really?" Nack asked.

"Smith, John, graduate from—"

Nack pointed the pistol at Antoine's forehead.

"Please, don't take me for an idiot." The convict rolled his eyes. "You're not one of these pigs that only have whatever passes for guts among them because of the gun in your hands. You're something else. Now who are you, who are you working for, and what are you doing here?"

A small smile curved at the edge of Bendark's mouth. He could still hear chatter from his group, and he figured that he had maybe two minutes before Shysa and the others showed up. Better keep them talking until then. Lure them into a false sense of security.

"MC-2308 'Bendark.' Grenadier for Cuy'val Dar squadron number 1-Epsilion-5. Rank: private, age: five and a half years." He fired it off mechanically, rhetorically. Then he watched to see if the effects would sink in.

Drago cocked an eyebrow and looked confused, Nack's eyes widened, and he could see both Warden Renders and Lieutenant Jeffers look at him differently now. The look was somewhere between awe, fear, and disbelief.

The wolf reached up and felt along his muzzle, before tearing off his alterations. He looked over to Drago again, who was still staring at him in confusion.

"For those of you whose mental capacities have not yet progressed beyond the third grade, I'll spell it out for you real simple-like." He paused and smiled. "I am one of those cloned super soldiers that the new Mandalorian Army has cranked out. You know… one of those genetically engineered warriors that are being used to conquer the world. Born in a test tube, taught how to kill from the moment we can walk." He looked at Nack and bared his fangs. "Ringing any bells? Come on, I know you're down here in the bum end of nowhere, but I'm sure you've heard _that_ much of the outside world."

"Sooooo, you must be here for him, then," He waved his pistol at Antoine. "The question is, why? Why would your kind be interested in him, and why would they only send one of you to get him out?"

The gun pressing into his back slipped downwards just a bit, as the felon relaxed just a bit. Mistake number three.

Bendark heard a curse from outside, and knew what it meant. Blaster fire followed.

"Who said there was only one of me?" he inquired.

Nack stared at him for a moment, and it was then that the Clone acted. His arm snapped backwards and grabbed the pistol that was hanging from the bodyguard's belt. The man instinctively moved to stop him, but his strength was no match for the wolf's. Bendark shoved a finger into the holster. The weapon was hot and primed. He pulled the trigger, and a bolt of energy tore through the holster and right into the man's foot. He howled and fell backwards, clutching at his stump. The Mandalorian grabbed both the pistol and the carbine before they could hit the floor, and fired off a couple more shots at Nack's feet. The weasel somersaulted out of the way and then dove behind the cover of the Warden's desk, and they splashed harmlessly against the floor.

At the same time, Antoine flicked his wrist, and his blade fell down into his hand. The bodyguard behind him never even reacted before it was buried into his heart.

A roar came from Drago and the enormous wolf lunged forward. Bendark tried to get his carbine lined up, but only managed one shot. It made a glancing wound in his shoulder, but didn't even begin to slow him down. He slammed into the Clone, knocking the two weapons from his hands and propelling both of them against the wall. Bendark fought back, wrapping his arms around the other wolf and smashing his knees up into his gut. The prisoner was like a demon though, and ignored the pain that the actions brought.

Antoine spun around and kicked the other guard to the ground, a move his wife had shown him. He was about to turn and help Marty when he saw Nack spring back up. The hit man had lost some of his skills during his years in the prison, but his aim was apparently not one of them. A bolt flew from his gun and hit Bendark square in the back. The wolf snarled, but his body armor held against the shot.

Not having anything else to work with, Antoine reached for the only weapon he had. His knife sailed end over end towards the weasel. Nack saw it coming though, and ducked back underneath the desk as it imbedded itself into the wood paneling behind it.

The coyote charged forward, determined to get in range before he could pop back up. The contents on the top of Renders' desk went flying as he skidded across it and came down right on top of the purple furred weasel. Caught by surprise, Nack found his weapon knocked from his grasp. Antoine tried to bring his knife in, but the weasel was able to twist it out of his hand. The two of them rolled over and into the wall as they struggled back and forth, Nack desperately trying to keep the coyote's cybernetic arm from being brought into the fight.

Marty found himself overpowered, though. The fifty year old man was no match for what he was up against. The three remaining prisoners had him down on the ground, and he knew that his life was about to end. He closed his eyes, waited for the inevitable.

There was a loud boom, a shockwave that tossed him forward a few feet. This was followed by a cry of surprise, a blaster shot, and then he felt blood on his face. He was certain he was dead. But then, if he was gone to the next life, why did his body still hurt?

He opened his eyes in time to see one of the convicts stumble back over him, and a headless corpse bleeding all over the floor. A large shadow passed over him, heavy boots thudding against the floor. A yelp of surprise, and he twisted just in time to see a massive armored figure plowing into the third prisoner, who had apparently managed to land on his feet. The ferret squealed loudly as he tried to get his balance, but the hulking metal shield and the high speed of the Clone behind it prevented him from doing so. The man screamed as he looked back and saw the wall of the office rapidly approaching. Marty winced as he saw the impact. A wet cracking sound, something like the combination of snapping wood and a water balloon popping reached his ears. The Clone backed away and the broken corpse fell to the ground, blood leaking out of both sides of its mouth.

He heard a howl of pain, and looked over. Drago was reeling back from where Bendark was, one hand covering his right eye. Blood seeped out from between the fingers, staining the fur crimson. The other wolf wasted no time. His combat training was in full gear. Take advantage of any situation, use anything at your disposal, was the mantra that Jaster and the others had drilled into his head over and over again.

The timber wolf leaned in, his jaws open wide, darting towards his opponent's exposed throat. Too late, Drago realized the danger he was in, as Bendark's razor sharp fangs closed around his neck. The Mandalorian twisted his head, and then ripped away. Blood went everywhere as he took most of Drago's throat and jugular veins with him.

"No please!" The final prisoner, another canine, begged. A Clone Trooper hovered over him, a large, menacing double bladed weapon held in its hands.

The weapon dove, and the man's pleas for mercy were cut off in mid sentence.

That just left Antoine and Nack.

The two of them were still rolling around on the ground, flopping over so quickly that the Clone standing next to them didn't dare shoot.

Antoine managed to get his knee in-between the weasel's, and then drove it upwards. Nack howled in pain, but true to his species, hung on. His eyes narrowed, and his head shot forward. His needle like teeth sunk into Antoine's shoulder. The coyote gasped, his real eye going wide in pain. He twisted about, and tried to dislodge himself from the hold, but only succeeded in tearing the wound open. Blood was flowing freely down his shoulder, and twisted up as he was, his cybernetic arm was pinned underneath him. His organic one was still left, though, and the former general saw his opportunity.

Antoine snaked one hand around Nack's skull and latched on. The muscles of his left arm bulged, and too late, the weasel realized the danger. Frantically, he released his hold from Antoine's shoulder, and tried to worm in towards something more vital, but he couldn't break the hold that the coyote had on him. Nack had time for one final scream, half terror, half rage, before a loud snap echoed through the room. Grunting, Antoine kicked the lifeless body off of him. It hit the wall and stopped, the neck hanging at an odd angle.

Panting, he looked up, and saw a pair of Clones in front of him. The larger of the two extended a hand down towards him. As he was pulled to his feet, he looked around the room. The stench of death hung heavy in the air, and blood was all over the area near the entrance. The smaller Clone saluted him, and he noticed the blood stained Zhaboka in its left hand.

"Sir, Sergeant MC-2469 'Shysa' at your disposal. Good to see you again." She moved to parade rest. "But as much as I'd love to reminisce about old times, we need to get you out of here." She turned and looked back over her shoulder. "Vizsla, Raz, get him suited up."

"Just a sec, almost done with Ben over here." The demolitions expert called.

Antoine saw most of the group swarming around the smart mouthed Clone, slapping on armor plates and fixing him up with a Neo Crusader sub machinegun. Two more were helping out lieutenant Jeffers and Warden Renders.

"You shouldn't have problems for much longer, Warden." Shysa said as she walked over. She placed an armored hand against his face, examining his injuries. "No sign of brain damage."

"Wha—what are you talking about?" the lynx shook his head, obviously confused. A lot had happened in the past two minutes.

"We've cut quite a path through the battles to get here. You're guards are just stunned, though." She examined his wrist. "Our leader will be joining us shortly, and I've got the feeling that once they meet him, these convicts are going to go running back to their cells and lock themselves inside." She caught the look of disbelief that he was shooting her. "He's the kind of soldier that makes us look like a dirt farmer militia."

She noticed Jeffers looking at her, and noted the confusion upon her face. The Clone just smiled behind her helmet, and said nothing else.

"Feels good to be back in this thing." Bendark flexed a gauntleted hand, and then double checked his SMG.

The swarm of Clones moved over to Antoine, bringing out body armor and a weapon. Ben, meanwhile, headed over to Marty. The mouse was sporting a few bruises, but seemed okay aside from that.

"Well, buddy, I hate to just have to leave you here…" he trailed off, and put his hand down to his belt. He pulled out his pistol, flipped it around, and handed it to the loyalist prisoner in one fluid motion. The mouse took it, starring down at the massive sidearm. Bendark fished out a couple of reloads. "Thirty six shots per clip on the standard power setting. No need to amp it up any more than that, though. Standard's enough that even with the body armor these guys are wearing, one shot will make sure that they are not going to be getting back up."

"Uhhh, thanks." The mouse scratched the back of his head.

"No problem," the grenadier tapped two fingers to the visor of his helmet. "We'll do our best to make sure that the road is ploughed on our way back out."

"Why are you doing this?" Lt. Jeffers asked, as another Clone made a final check to ensure that she wasn't hurt.

"Let's just say we're on the same side." Shysa smiled inside of her helmet. She then turned to Renders. "Well, Sir, it's been a barrel of laughs, but we've got to blow this icebox." She kicked a B-5 over towards him.

"How do we know that we can trust you?" The warden asked, bending down to pick up the weapon.

"Because we didn't kill you," the Clone leader replied.

With that, they raced back out the door and towards the courtyard.

* * *

It wasn't long before the group ran into another roadblock. In one of the large communal areas of the prison the guards and convicts were still firing away at each other. Not about to expose their charge to unnecessary danger, Shysa opened up a line to her commander.

"Boss, we need a way past this," she said.

"Relax, I've got it covered." The distorted, semi-electronic voice said.

"Who are you?" Antoine asked as he nervously handled his gun, running his fingers across the hand grip.

The voice chuckled. "You're going to find out in about four seconds."

The coyote arched and eyebrow, confused by the cryptic message. He opened his mouth to speak, but a groaning noise cut him off. At the far end of the communal area, off to the side of where the fighting was occurring, the pressure doors warped and twisted, before flying off of their tracks. They sailed through the room bouncing along and tearing huge gashes in the floor, before coming to thundering halt at the far end.

The fighting stopped as everyone looked to see what had caused such destruction.

Antoine saw the blurred figure emerge from the darkness, the heat like distortion, and his breath caught in his throat. The guards and convicts looked on in confusion, while the Mandalorian soldiers seemed to bristle with pride. The cloak began to waver and fade as the figure drew closer, and then it faded away altogether. Gunmetal gray armor, a black, mirrored visor, the hilts of two Kaiburr swords visible over his shoulder, the weapons mounted on the forearms and the wickedly serrated vibro claws.

Antoine brought his hand to his cybernetic arm.

The people in the prison gasped in horror, their skin going pale beneath their fur.

All across Mobotropolis, people watched their screens, television or holovid, and drew family members closer, hugged children tight, and felt their breath catch in their throats.

Shysa brought her hand up to a salute. "Commander Norrack."

In Sally's room, Tails' mouth fell open, and he started to hyperventilate. It couldn't be, he was dead! The scars on his arms suddenly started to burn, as if the fire still licked at them. He shook his head, trying to clear the image from his mind. It was all an illusion. He was seeing things, hearing things. His mind was playing tricks on him. Then he looked over to his two squad mates. Mina and Joshua had mirror images of shock on their faces. He turned and look to his two aunts. Surprise and shock was on their faces as well, but there was something in Sally's eyes that seemed odd. He ignored it for now, though, and turned his attention back to the screen.

The camera wasn't changing as it had before, flipping around to rooms, corridors, and cell blocks at random. It stayed there, focused on the ARC trooper that had seemingly defied death. Tails looked at the soldier, tried to find some proof that it was a hoax, an imitation, that it was really just Shadow or some Clone in a fancy get up. But no, Shadow's armor was black, and there was something else, something he couldn't place.

The visor was looking right at the camera, and Tails felt as if it was a drill, boring into him. He took a step back, couldn't stop himself.

"Threat level ascertained: minimal."

The voice shook any lingering doubts from his mind. The voice that was imbedded into his mind, burned into his soul. The voice of the thing that had nearly killed him, nearly killed all of them in a ruthless, macabre version of a hunt.

How? Was the question that screamed through his mind.

Back in the War Room, Geoffrey, Elias, and Max sat, discussing this recent turn of events, when they heard those words echo over the holoscreen. All of them twisted and looked up at the screen, and the person that it showed. Their jaws dropped open in disbelief as they saw Norrack draw his blades and ignite them, blue white fire springing up from the hilts.

"Impossible," Max breathed, his eyes wide and his hands drooping by his sides.

Back at Devil's Gulag, the two parties not aware of the cyborg's continued existence were thinking much the same. But their eyes did not lie; the Angel of Death was indeed among them.

Underneath the armor suit, Sonic prepared himself. He let his mind relax, and reminded himself that the rest of the world had to be prepared for what his brother would bring. He had to show them what the other ARC would be capable of, or the Goddess only knew how many would fall trying to take him down.

All at once, they seemed to suddenly realize their danger, and they snapped out of their trances. Carbines and T-21 blasters were pointed at him, and the guards and prisoners alike opened fire. The ARC trooper blasted into action, his blades whirling around so quickly they looked like glowing turbines. Bolts impacted as he ran forward, rebounding off of the weapons and heading straight for his intended targets: the group of about thirty prisoners on the far side of the room. The guards were forced to duck as his caster came up and sprayed them with bursts of stunning fire. Two weren't fast enough, and fell unconscious before the attacks.

A felon howled in agony as a crimson plasma bolt streaked back into his arm. He dropped his weapon, his eyes clamped shut as he tried to drive the pain away, before another deflected bolt silenced him. On the other side of the room, a guard leveled a T-21 with the cyborg, only to hear an unearthly screech of straining metal and find his weapon rendered useless as the barrel was bent out of shape by some unseen force. He gasped and tried to draw a sidearm, for all the good it would do against this reborn foe.

The killing machine had already closed the distance and was now among the prisoners. They were screaming in panic, which quickly turned to pain and denial as the deadly energy blades went to work. A female raised her weapon, tried to line up the soldier for a blast. She wasn't fast enough, he was already in the air above her. A final scream of terror left her throat as the blades closed in. Norrack spun in a forward flip and drew the Kaiburr swords downward in an X fashion. The prisoner slid apart, her body effortlessly hacked to pieces.

Before her body parts hit the ground, he was already to the second target. The man had his weapon leveled and fired off a four round burst. The ARC's blades intercepted them, bouncing two of them back into his legs, another two into a different prisoner three meters to his right. The bear roared and dropped his weapon, his right hand reduced to a charred stump at his wrist. The cyborg focused back on his initial target. Before the man could fire a second burst, a metal boot had been planted into his face. Bones snapped and crunched beneath the strength of the blow, and the convict's head seemed to fly apart, spattering bits of brain and gore everywhere.

Norrack threw his left blade end over end and it buried itself into a prisoner's chest. He died almost instantly, his heart run through. At the same time, two others screamed as they were lifted into the air by an unseen power. The two of them slammed into one another, and then up into the ceiling, before being hurled across the room. They slammed into a metal support column with enough force that their bodies were pulverized. They were dead before they even began to fall towards the ground.

Norrack had struck down another at the same time, his vibro claws unsheathed as he slashed open his abdomen. The shredded remains of the prisoner's bowels went everywhere, and he reached out a hand and made a grab for them, but most spilled through his fingers as he collapsed.

Another convict tried to race past him, all thoughts of fighting back abandoned. The ARC trooper jumped over to one side to throw off the aims of those still blasting at him, sent another burst of stunning fire over towards the guards to force them to drop their heads, and moved to intercept the fleeing convict. He caught up in a fraction of a second, and struck. His claws sawed into the man's flesh, femur, and tendons, removing his leg cleanly. The prisoner started to fly up into the air, his body off balance by the sudden removal of his limb. So quickly that it almost looked alike a single motion, Norrack reared back and dug his claws into the man's chest, before raking them back towards his armored body. A puddle of blood and bits of shredded organs formed at his feet as his claws retracted. He twisted, firing off a three round burst of bolter fire, and simultaneously extended his arm to catch his Kaiburr sword. Armed with both blades again, he rushed back into their midst, deflecting weapons fire left and right.

His shoulder cannon moved back towards them, a simple thought changing the power setting up to a lethal dosage. Two shots, from the top and bottom barrels. Before the prisoners could even blink, pain ripped through their bodies. Just before their eyes snapped shut, they were able to look down, and they say the massive hole that had been left in their chests. The ARC trooper smirked behind his helmet as he looked through the holes into the terrified eyes of the remaining convicts.

The barrage of fire they through at him was as ineffective as ever. He dodged and weaved around their aim, deflecting plasma rounds and letting a couple get through his defenses to impact upon his shields. The power bar in the upper left of his HUD didn't even flux as the energy was taken in. Two more found themselves lifted into the air, helpless before his psionic powers. They struggled for a moment or two, before a loud crunching sound echoed through the room, audible even above the chaos that the cyborg was causing. The bodies fell back to the floor, broken and lifeless.

One of the guards fired a four shot burst at him, but the commando had already spun out of the way of the aim and set his blades into motion. Two prisoners fell, their heads vaporized by the deflected shots. Another one attempted to bolt past him, but didn't make it far before the wrist mounted rocket launcher caught him. The warhead exploded, taking out another woman standing too close. The cyborg could sense the fear increasing all around him. It was etched in their faces, drawn up into horrified gasps, and the look in their eyes, the fearful denial of the knowledge that they weren't going to walk away from this. The way that their bodies were shaking as they furiously backpedaled away from him. The way their shots were flying around with ever increasing panic, missing their target without him even needing to dodge in some cases.

The ARC trooper shot past another convict, his vibro claws extended to neck height. The headless corpse tumbled to the ground as he spun around ad hit another man dead on in the chest with his caster. The purple bolt of energy cored him, blasting his body away into the wall. His sabers hummed through the air once again, both of them ripping into a pair of targets. Another convict went sailing through the air, her last screams cut off quickly as her head was smashed against a pipe as if by an invisible hand.

More bolts slammed into him, and the ARC trooper made no move to avoid them. It was as if he wanted everyone there to know that there was nothing they could do to stop him.

Two more men were blasted apart, nearly cremated by precision shots as the cyborg jumped up against the wall and then pushed off. He flipped over and caught his blades again in mid air, before landing amid two convicts. The felons tried to dive out of the way, but their reflexes were no match for a born and bred killing machine. They died without a cry, sliced to pieces by the fury of the super soldier.

The opposition was nearly nonexistent at this point, the prisoners were crying out in fear at the merciless machine they were up against, and the guards had stopped firing entirely. The ARC trooper launched himself at the nearest of the two concentrations left. The first one died to his caster, and the second found himself ripped apart by a pair of horizontal slashes from his energy blades. The third fell to the ground as the cyborg's plated foot smashed into her chest, crushing her organs and ribcage. A vault over the next bit enabled him to remove the man's head from his shoulders with his right blade. The final member went down as Norrack drove his vibro claws into the man's guts.

There was only one small group left now, a meager fraction of the original thirty. In the blink of an eye, the ARC trooper had sheathed a blade and brought his left arm up. White hot fire suddenly sprang to life along the length of his left arm. The guards backed away, crying out at the intense light and the searing heat that they could feel even from forty feet away. The remaining six prisoners poured fire into the cyborg with all the fury they could muster, but he didn't even move. His shields flared around him, pulsing and crackling, but doing nothing other than that.

He extended his hand, and the flames shot towards them. Their screams were loud, horrifying, and mercifully cut off as the stream hit them. Their bodies were cremated in an instant, reduced to ash, their weapons mere puddles of molten slag and cooked circuitry.

The guards and those watching the carnage through the cameras all paused in dread filled awe at what they had witnessed. The trooper's black visored gaze drifted around the room, taking in the sight of the terrified guards, and then moving over to the Clones and the man they were escorting. He started to move towards them, deactivated and sheathing his remaining blade. The entire slaughter had taken less than a minute.

Back in Sally's room, Tails' breath was coming in deep, ragged pants. Memories of fire, of Norrack standing over him with those talons ready to bury themselves into his heart plucked at him, and he kept rubbing the ends of his arms where his scars were. His mouth was dry, his throat felt parched, and his heart was hammering wildly in his chest. Finally, he was able to open his mouth.

"Since… since when could he do stuff like that?" The fox forced the words past his lips as he watched the cyborg on the screen. "Throw people through the air like that, make those flames?"

"I'm not sure, sugar fox," Bunnie said as her nose twitched. She reached her real hand up towards the screen as she saw Antoine again. Her fingers rushed over him as he stared at Norrack. Silently, she prayed that he would find it in his heart to trust the man behind that armor.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance again, General D'Coolette," the cyborg saluted as he addressed the coyote. "If you'll follow us, we've got a drop ship out of this ice cube."

Everyone watched as Antoine paused for a second or two, his face shifting through a myriad of different emotions over the course of a few seconds. Finally, his face hardened and he nodded.

"Lead the way, Commander." He tucked himself back in amongst the super commando escort.

"You heard the General, move!" Norrack barked, and then twisted about. His swords flew out of their sheathes and into his hands.

The Clones filed in behind him, shield carriers to the front and rear. The prison guards just stood where they were, their jaws opened in wide mouthed shock as they were completely ignored and the entourage rushed by them.

As soon as the group had left, a moment of silence settled. It lasted for five seconds, and then it began, an uproar the likes of which had not been seen in years. News anchors shouted for information and data. Military analysts and commanders began to rewind the footage of the cyborg in action, while computers began to scan everything available to try and obtain data on a weakness the ARC trooper may have presented. The War Room dissolved into an uproar as the three men in it tried to fathom exactly what had happened, while Geoffrey scrambled aerial reinforcements to the prison, though he knew that they would never reach it in time to stop the Mandalorians and their commander from escaping.

Bunnie had to stop herself from breathing a sigh of relief as she watched her husband leave with Sonic and the others. Any small slip could give away the role that Sally had had in the planning of the operation. She mentally crossed her fingers, and hoped for the best. The worst of the opposition was gone, and if her memories of the prison's plans were correct, they would have almost a clean run to the landing area in the court yard.

* * *

That was indeed the case for the strike team. They emerged through the blast door to find another four inches of snow had accumulated during their time inside, and that Marcus' team was down behind cover. Aside from that, no energy bolts lit up the blizzard.

"You are clear, Commander Norrack, ready to receive our VIP," Marcus said from where he was. "Catwalk doors are still locked down, that ion cannon's a handy little thing."

"Move!" The ARC ordered. He couldn't sense any opposition around here, and he knew they were clear.

Shysa and the rest of the Cuy'val Dar rushed forward, their shields angled to protect Antoine from any attack. It took them seconds to reach the LAATs. Antoine was the first one up, clambering inside as the Clones formed a defensive ring around him. Three at a time, they piled up into the ship, the soldiers with the shields staying until last.

"Marcus, get your team mobile, repeaters and snipers last, then I'll hop on." Sonic said, turning back to face the prison, his weapons armed and ready. The wind howled around him as he stood there, bits of snow gathering on his shoulders while other flakes turned to super heated steam as they came into contact with his Kaiburr swords.

The Clone troopers withdrew, their weapons pointed towards the catwalks and guard towers, just in case of any last minute surprises. Finally, the snipers and the two Clones carrying repeaters withdrew to the LAATs. The ships began to rise into the air, scattering snow everywhere as their repulsors kicked in. Only then did the ARC trooper begin to backpedal. He hen leapt up into the air and landed squarely in the troop area of the ship. The doors slid shut behind him, and the interior of the drop ships were bathed in the red lights of the interior.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he made his way to the front of the troop section and leaned back into a seat. Antoine was across the bay from him, the coyote's eyes staring right into his own.

Several minutes passed in utter silence until the General at last broke it.

"You are supposed to be dead." He crossed his arms over his chest and arched an eyebrow at the cyborg across from him.

"You're right, General. I should be dead. No less than nine times I've encountered a situation when I should have died, but somehow haven't. I guess someone upstairs must still like me." A bitter and derisive laugh followed the statement. "However, you trusted me, despite the fact that I tried to kill you and everyone you loved a decade ago…" the cyborg looked down at the floor and cradled one hand on his kneecap. "That kind of trust shouldn't be just one way."

"What do you mean?" Antoine asked.

"You trusted me with your life, despite everything. And so in return I am going to trust you with something that only a handful of people outside of my brothers and sisters know: my identity."

There was a jet of pressurized air, looking like hellish steam in the crimson light of the drop ship's interior. Curious, Antoine leaned forward, not daring to blink as the ARC removed his helmet. He watched it slide upwards, centimeter by centimeter. He saw the fur, the start of a jaw line, and the start of the scars. Then it cleared completely.

Silence filled the LAAT. No one said a word. Antoine's eyes never widened, his expression never changed. His mind was similar. Sonic couldn't pick up a trace of what was going on from the surface, and he didn't want to probe deeper.

Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Antoine straightened up a little bit. "How did you survive?" He kept his tone neutral as ever.

"I'm not sure," the hedgehog said. He leaned back against his seat with a sigh. His milky white eyes drifted over to his friend from what seemed a lifetime ago. "I think it was my… abilities."

A medkit on the wall vibrated slightly, and then floated over to where he was sitting.

"I remember a lot of pain, Buttnik staring down at me, laughing…" he started.

* * *

"So Sally and Mon Cherie are aware of your continued existence?" Antoine tapped a finger against his chin.

"Sal helped plan this Op," Sonic said, "Bunnie was the first one to find out who I was. That's why she was willing to help me bail Sal and Saria out when Shadow got his hands on them."

"And these are the same Cuy'val Dar responsible for that," he pointed to Shysa, asleep over on the far wall.

"Yep, with a little help from my father, we were able to take the chip out of their head and get them on our side. They don't fancy leaving their brothers and sisters to be enslaved."

The General remained silent for some moments, and Sonic felt as if the moment of judgment was approaching. Antoine rose form his seat and made his way over to the hedgehog, before sitting down next to him.

"I used to hate your memory, because of what you'd done to everyone… because of what you did to Bunnie. But, but you were a prisoner too. Part of me still wants to hate you because of everything you've done, but the other half doesn't. You've been through hell for us once again, Sonic…" he looked up at his friend from what felt like a lifetime ago, "I don't know how much help I can be, now, but if you'll let me…" he trailed off.

Sonic's face broke into the familiar crooked grin that Antoine remembered so well at Knothole.

"I'd be honored, Ant," the hedgehog said, punching his old friend lightly on the shoulder. "We need another good strategic planner to figure out how to put the freed Clones to good use. We should be back soon, and then I'll have Shysa and the others show you around."

"What about yourself?"

"I've got a little visit to pay to a certain striped individual," Antoine could tell that Sonic had just rolled his eyes. "Sal's afraid that Geoff's going to try to use the footage of the prison break to prove that you were in cahoots with Shadow. I've got to head him off."

Antoine simply nodded, and could only fathom what Sonic might have in store for the skunk. For the first time in years, the coyote almost felt sorry for him.

* * *

Half a world away, Jaster was standing in front of a double sealed blast door. The timber wolf had a hand against the chin of his helmet, his right elbow propped up by his left hand. His thoughts were racing about how to explain what they had seen on the holonet just a few hours ago. Shadow had locked himself inside of this room with orders not to be disturbed, and while the Mandalore had no desire to get on his employer's bad side, he knew that this information was vital. He could hardly believe it himself, the sight of the Devil's Gulag being overrun by his own Clones.

How had Sonic gotten them on his side? How had the hedgehog managed to turn them against their original cause?

The silver armored warrior shook his head. There would be time to try to figure that out later. Right now, he had to inform Shadow of Snively's progress with their latest project.

He entered his key code and the door slide open. Jaster stepped inside and found himself in a holodeck. Blue and white lines crisscrossed the room, and the soldier found it oddly reminiscent of what a data feed must have looked like. The only exception to this was a figure in the middle of the room. It was an Overlander female, blonde haired and with a pair of sparkling blue eyes. A pair of glasses were on the edge of her small nose, and a gentle smile on her face.

However, the Mandalore was more concerned with the black robed figure in front of her. He couldn't see Shadow's face as the ARC turned to face him, but he could feel the rage burning inside of him. Invisible fingers gripped around his throat, not enough to completely cut off his air supply, but sufficient to make breathing difficult. Jaster refused to let fear consume him, and remained where he was, staring straight into the blackness underneath the cowl of Shadow's robe. He kept eye contact, and checked the instinctive urge to draw his weapons and fight back against the threat. Shadow was capable of utterly demolishing any resistance that he might put up. Jaster had seen the black hedgehog in action often enough to know that.

"You know better than to disturb me when I request to be alone, Jaster," The Mandalore felt the fingers tighten slightly. "What is so important that you must intrude upon my sanctuary?"

"The Devil's Gulag has been attacked," the timber wolf said, his voice calm. "General D'Coolette was freed from prison."

"Looks like you weren't the only one who wanted to spring him from that place." Shadow's cloak shifted about himself.

"As I said, he could be a valuable asset…"

"Oh, come off it, Jaster, don't try to fool me." Shadow shook his head. "You and I both know that he's a scapegoat, and that grated on you. You couldn't stand to see such a worthy adversary hung out to dry like that." Jaster could tell that his employer was rolling his eyes. "But that alone is not why you have come, is it? I can sense more inside of you."

"Sonic was the one who did it." Jaster felt the invisible grip around his throat suddenly disappear. "He was being assisted by Cuy'val Dar."

"What?" the ARC Trooper roared. In an instant, he had blurred up to where Jaster was standing. "Clone black ops soldiers? Assisting him?"

"We are as baffled as you are, Sir. It doesn't seem to be possible," The Mandalore shrugged his shoulders.

"He must have found some way to disable the neural chip," Shadow scratched at his hidden chin. "We'll need another failsafe, in that case… perhaps a kill gene, send out a signal code and have it terminate Clones who are MIA."

"Far more likely he just reprogrammed the chip for his own uses," Jaster added hastily. Shadow stared up at him, and the soldier felt tendrils probing at his mind. "We have reason to suspect that Sally and some other key members of the government are not only aware of his true identity, but may be supplying him with covert shipments of weaponry."

"Indeed…" Shadow trailed off, and looked around. "How is Jonathan—'

"Nearly finished. He suspects in another forty eight hours, we'll be ready to launch." Jaster said.

"Good, tell him to have the crews ready to move out by that time. Now," he turned back around, "leave me."

The Mandalore saluted and quickly retreated from the holodeck. Shadow said nothing, but turned back to the image in front of him.

* * *

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Well, hope it was worth the delay. I want to once again thank everyone who's been willing to put up with my inability to update lately, and as always, feedback is appreciated, especially constructive criticism. However, ideas on story events and weapons/vehicles and even flames are also accepted. Hope everyone has a great summer, for those of you on vacation, for those of you who are not, best of luck in life. Hope to see everyone again soon, and stay safe until then 


	27. Rendezvous and Revelations

Hi everyone, hope you're all in good health at the moment. Me, I'm nervous as heck, as another year of college starts in two days, and I have a sense of impending doom. Still, the two weeks vacation I got was revitalizing. I only hope my stress levels haven't impeded this chapter.

As always, to everyone who has read, you have my sincerest thanks. You are the people who have encouraged me to keep going and try to expand this talent to the best of my ability. To those of you who have reviewed, I hope I have responded to your questions and comments to your liking. bows humbly

Lawyers: Must I say this every time? Just look back to chapter one. Nothing has changed.

At any rate, here's chapter twenty seven.

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Rendezvous and Revelations

Geoffrey St. John tossed and turned in his sleep, muttering quietly as he thrashed around. In his dreams, Mobotropolis burned. Balls of fire filled the air, and Neo Crusaders were everywhere. He was at the center of it all, the heart of the Palace as the city, and everything he knew came tumbling down into disarray. A figure walked towards him, clad in a black robe. He could see nothing of the man's face, only the burning white eyes that peered into the depths of his heart. The skunk felt his body overcome by a seizure of trembling, and he recoiled as the figure drew closer. He cried out as he fell backwards and landed upon the stone floor. Whimpering, he began to scramble and crawl away from the obsidian figure. Still it drew closer. The white eyes burned with the intensity of the sun, blinding him and blocking out all other light. A hand reached for him, and he screamed.

He awoke to the sound of his own voice. Gasping, he shot up in his bed, his heart thundering in his chest. He spent a few moments panting, trying to catch his breath and reassure himself that the whole thing was nothing more than a bad dream. Finally, once he'd calmed down enough, he rubbed his eyes and looked around his room. Then he noticed something that was out of the ordinary.

An armored figure sat at his table, a tea cup and saucer held in its hands. It took the skunk a few moments to realize what was going on, and his eyes widened. They bulged even further when he noticed something else: a very familiar looking helmet was next to the figure's left shoulder. Without even pausing to blink, he lunged for the alarm near his bedside.

"Don't even think about it, Colonel," Norrack said, before taking another sip of the beverage he held. "This is good tea, by the way. Imported all the way from Downunda, eh? I never figured you for the type to appreciate a little taste of home."

"What do you want, Norrack?" Geoffrey tried to keep his voice level, but there was a slight quaver to it, a combination of fear and outrage that his personal tea, which he had imported at great expense to himself, was being drunk by the man who had so recently humiliated him on live television.

The armored soldier gestured to a datapad near his left hand. "I've been looking through your PDA, and I found some interesting files. Tomorrow, you're planning to give a speech on how General D'Coolette was a traitor, serving to undermine the good of the people from day one. That Station Square and Southern Mobius fell because he engineered the whole thing from the beginning."

"What of it?" The skunk said, his fur bristling.

"I'm here to tell you what an astoundingly bad idea such a move would be, both for your current political standing, and for your long and short term survival." The ARC trooper paused to pour himself another cup of tea. The steam billowed from the cup, surrounding the back of the cyborg's head.

"Is that a threat, butcher?" St. John finally shuffled out of bed.

"Merely an observation, my esteemed colonel," the soldier chuckled for a few seconds. "If you were to attempt to announce such a proclamation, people would start casting their eyes everywhere. Think about it. The Neo Crusaders were able to influence the highest ranking member of the Royal Army. Who else might have succumbed to their wiles? With a little bit of evidence showing up at just the right moment… why, even you, Colonel, might be suspected of cooperating with the enemy."

"That's preposterous! Why I—"

"You are nothing by a small time, petty opportunist whose ego is far too large for his own good and whose mother obviously never gave a good spanking to when he was younger." Norrack cut him off. "With a single call, I can have a lot of dirt brought to light about you, some of it may be completely fictions, but the media won't know that."

"I'll have the backing of the royal family," Geoffrey's eyes narrowed.

"Don't be too sure of that, skunk," Norrack laughed again. "How do you think I've been operating? I'm not completely independent, nor are the Clones under my command. Friends in high places have their uses."

"Sally?" St John hissed the word. "I should have known that treacherous little witch would try to have me—"

The Colonel was cut off as he felt his feet leave the ground and his body accelerate towards where the ARC was sitting. Slowly, the soldier turned, and St. John gasped. The helmet may have been gone, but he still couldn't make out the face. Only a black blur, and a pair of hauntingly white eyes was visible where the trooper's head should have been. Geoffrey choked back a gasp as he stared up at the much larger man.

"That 'witch' is your superior, and her actions have directly aided your cause, and saved many lives. You might realize that if you weren't such a short sighted fool, Geoffrey." The eyes narrowed, and the skunk felt a crushing pressure begin to form in his chest. "I tell you this to inform you that both myself and Antoine are well protected and shielded from your actions. However, I have eyes about this place. If I see or hear anything unusual out of you, or receive any word that you've attempted action against either princess, I will pay you another visit, and you will find it much less pleasant than this one."

"If you tried that, I could summon a hundred soldiers with the push of a button!" the skunk was clutching at his chest, desperate for some leverage.

"And with the single firing of one of my neurons, I could crush every bone in your spinal column to a fine powder… think about it Colonel, I'm not someone you want to pick a fight with. The machine that gave you those," Norrack gestured to the scars on Geoffrey's face, "could tell you as much, were he not in pieces because he tried to turn on me."

The grip was released and Geoffrey barely managed to catch himself, landing in a crouch. Norrack went back to drinking his tea, pouring himself another steaming cup of the liquid.

"Were I you, Colonel, I would instead focus upon our mutual concern: stopping Shadow and his Neo Crusaders. Your attempt to send Antoine away for life already deprived you of one good commander, so I suggest you get to work." He paused to drain most of his cup. "If you need additional motivation, simply remember what traditionally happens to defeated military leaders after a conquest such as this."

The ARC trooper finished his tea, and then reached for his helmet. The defensive gear hissed as it resealed to the cyborg's armor. Then Norrack turned and began to pace his way around the room. His camouflage systems activated, reducing him to a blur.

"Remember what I told you, Colonel, and don't make me come back here." He started to move away from where Geoffrey was standing. "And thank you again for the tea. It was delicious. Stock up on it again, will you? It's a little hard to get catering where I am, and I never know when a food craving is going to hit these days."

With that, the door hissed open and the cyborg disappeared. St. John was left standing where he was, his heart beating rapidly, torn between fear and impotent rage. The skunk was unable to believe what had just transpired between him and the ARC. The super soldier had managed to weave his way past hundreds of guards, security cameras, checkpoints, motion sensors, infrared detectors, and other monitor systems in order to get to him.

But wait, had he really managed to get past them all, or had he had assistance? Sally had apparently been aiding him, could the woman not remember that it was that very same butcher that had nearly killed them all and caused them to have to flee Knothole? That it was he who had scared her son? That it was he who had taken her right arm and nearly killed her child? He shook his head to clear that line of thought. He had to focus past that vendetta. If the princess was entrusting Norrack with the kind of information necessary for him to infiltrate the palace, who else might be allied with the cyborg, allied against him?

The paranoia echoed through Geoffrey's mind, and the skunk began to pace the floor back and forth, his tail lashing back and forth in agitation.

* * *

Bunnie was laying back in her bed when she was aware that she was not alone. Turning over, the rabbit saw him standing there, leaning against the wall with one foot placed back against it. The cloaking field around him faded, revealing Sonic to her. 

"Hey, Sugar-hog," she said quietly, getting up from her bed and wrapping a heavy robe around herself. She placed a finger to her mouth and motioned to the other room, where Guy slept.

"How is he?" they both asked at the same time. Then they chuckled a little bit and shook their heads.

"Antoine's fine, Bunnie," the hedgehog said, stepping away from the wall. "Stonehenge is much more accommodating that the Gulag was. The Clones are eager to learn what they can from him." He paused. "He had a message for you, as well. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you and Guy very much, and not to worry about him too much."

"You just tell that coyote not to go and do something stupid, ya hear?" Her tone was scolding, but he could see the smile form at her lips.

"I'll be sure to pass it along. How's Guy?"

The little tyke's been sleeping better since he found out about his dad getting out of there. I told him not to worry, that I was sure he was in good hands." She looked towards the boy's room.

"Children have unconditional faith in their parents at that age. All we can do is hope to live up to their expectations." The ARC said.

"Surprisingly philosophical of you, spikey," Bunnie laughed. "You get to studying your father's stuff so hard that you started to act like him?"

"I may have picked up a favorable trait or two while hanging around at Stonehenge," he shrugged. "Besides, its not as if I haven't had my moments even before all of this started."

"Point taken, what about Geoffrey?" She pushed her ear back out of her eye.

"He shouldn't be giving you trouble any more. But, if he does, you or Sal give me a call and I'll be right along to pay him another visit, just like I promised him I would." Bunnie noticed how his fists unconsciously tightened as he finished his statement.

"What will you do to him?" she asked.

"I'm not sure." He shrugged again.

"Will you kill him?"

The silence hung in the air for several seconds, and the two stared at one another.

"Only if I have to," Sonic said, "only if he leaves me with no alternative."

She nodded and then looked around. "You should probably get going soon, before Stinky manages to summon up some nerve and start a witch hunt for ya."

"I will, but I've got one more place that I've got to go," he started to turn, and then pivoted back to face her. "By the way, do you want me to tell him?"

"Tell Antoine about what?" the rabbit looked confused, but Sonic simply pointed to her stomach. The rabbit's eyes widened and she gaped at him.

"I can sense life, remember?" She could tell that he was smiling behind his helmet. "Congratulations, by the way."

"I'd like to tell him, myself."

Sonic nodded, and then engaged his cloaking systems once again.

* * *

Sally was standing on the balcony of her room, looking out over the cityscape before her. So much had happened since that fateful night on Yuletide's eve, more than four months ago, and now everything was about to come full circle. The Neo Crusaders were once again about to return to her home, to try and take away everything that her friends and people had fought and died for in the war against Robotnik. Her mind began to wander as she thought of everyone that she knew who would be involved with this battle. The ones who had fought, the ones who had not come home, and the ones who would fight again when the time came. 

A pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her, holding her in closely against a metal body. A knowing smile came to the princess' face and she looked up into a familiar visor. The partially electronic voice of the man she loved came out in a laugh and she reached up and thumped a finger against the front of his helmet. Turning around, she returned the embrace.

"How did your meeting with Geoffrey go?" Sally asked.

"Ah, you know how it is, Sal. You sneak into t a guy's room, drink his specialty tea, calmly tell him who's got your back and what he can and can't do, and inform him of what happens if he fails to stop putting himself before the people he's supposed to protect." The hedgehog shrugged as she wiggled out of his embrace and walked back into the room. "How's Saria?"

"She tried to stay awake for you, but she finally fell asleep about an hour ago. She's been really worried about you, you know." The princess said.

"Is it okay if I wake her up?" he asked. Sally nodded to him and he smiled and took off his helmet. The ground squirrel grinned at him and he moved towards his daughter's room. However, he stopped short as he looked into the corner. There was something there that he had noticed earlier, and now he took a closer look at it.

It was Sally's old armor. He could see the black nagai mesh, over it what looked to be newly added zersium plates. A lancer rifle with an attached grenade launcher was resting next to it, along with the Sword of Acorns. He chuckled faintly. That suit brought back memories of times long past. Raids on Swat Bot factories, toppling another one of Robotnik's super weapons, him running out of the city with her tucked safely away in his arms.

A sudden somberness came over the hedgehog. That armor was meant for battle. Sally had taken it out because she believed that she would need it.

"Sonic, you should know better than to worry about me," she turned to face him, a slight frown on her face.

"Did you suddenly gain the ability to read minds and not tell me?" he raised an eyebrow.

"No, but I know you well enough. Now, Sonic Maurice Hedgehog, will you stop fretting over me and go say hello to your daughter?" He knew that tone of voice, arguing would be a fruitless endeavor. He flashed a cheeky, crooked grin and taped two fingers to his brow. "Yes ma'am."

He moved to the door next to Sally's bed, and ducked inside. A few moments after it sealed back, the elder princess heard a childish squeal of delight, followed by a deeper chuckle. She smiled and folded her arms over her chest. Sonic certainly had a way with children. She wondered if it was a result of his own lack of one, his wanting to have those years of his childhood back. It was something she missed as well, and one reason that the thought of losing this war was unbearable to her. She had grown up learning how to conduct raids, destroy targets, and where to nail a hovercraft in order to knock out its power supply and cause it to crash. Goddess help her, she would not see her own daughter go through that.

A heavy knocking on her door woke her from her musings, and she turned to look at it with a strange curiosity. The pounding came again, louder and more urgent this time. She moved over towards the door and pressed a button on the security panel next to it. Tails stood outside, an agitated look on his face and with helmet and rifle tucked under his arm. Sally opened the door and his blue eyes met hers.

"Tails, what are you—"

"Who's in here, Aunt Sally?" he cocked his head to one side.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Don't lie to me, I heard you talking with someone inside of here. I couldn't make out who it was, but I know it wasn't on a commline. Now who were you talking with?" His eyes narrowed to a glare and he peered around her shoulder to try and see into her room.

Another laugh came from inside of Saria's room, loud enough to be heard even through the metal door. Tails gave Sally a queer look and then stepped inside. The princess' mind scrambled to think of something to tell him, and then the two tailed fox froze. It took her only a couple of seconds to realize what it was that he saw. In his haste to see his daughter, Sonic had left his helmet on her bed. Tails was looking right at it. The young man had been agitated ever since the prison break out yesterday, and he had no trouble recognizing it. His mouth dropped open, he shifted back to look at her, and then his left hand dropped his helmet as it dove for his back up mike. He had almost managed to close his hands around it when a sudden weight against his back knocked him to the ground. Before he had even time to cry out a hand clamped around his muzzle and his comm. was kicked out of its holder and away across the room.

He heard a hissing noise, and looked over out of the corner of his eyes. He saw a pair of armored legs, and then another eight against himself. He managed to throw Sally off of himself, but then another set of arms, these ones much stronger, wrapped around him. Tails tucked his legs out and brought them back in, slamming them into the skin of his opponent, but he seemed not to care. Growling around the hand on his mouth, he looked back, and saw the face of his attacker. He instantly went limp and hung listlessly in the arms of his adversary.

He kept looking up into the white eyes of Sonic, telling himself that he was hallucinating, that his brother was dead.

Whatever thoughts that the young man might have had were cut off by another loud knock on the door.

"Princess, is everything okay in there?" he heard someone say. "We heard a commotion."

Sonic and Sally exchanged a panicked glance with one another, before the hedgehog yanked his helmet over towards himself and turned on his stealth field. He moved over to one of the dark corners and crouched down behind some furniture.

"Tails, look at me," Sally hissed to him as the pounding came again. "Do exactly as I tell you."

The door opened a few seconds later, hacked by one of the soldiers in the patrol. Two of them came in, weapons drawn, and to their amazement, found the princess and Tails moving through the motions of a hand to hand combat routine.

"Very good, Miles," Sally grunted as she ducked a left cross, "but be careful, you're putting too much weight on your back foot and…" she trailed off as she ducked down and swept his legs out form underneath him. The fox landed on his back with a thundering crash.

It was only then that the ground squirrel looked up towards the soldiers that had intruded into her room.

"Evening, Sergeant," she nodded towards the leader. "My apologies for disturbing your rounds. I was teaching Miles here a few tricks that might keep him alive in the coming days."

"I see," the Sergeant replied. "He's supposed to be on rounds of his own, so please don't keep him too long, ma'am."

"I won't."

With a salute, the soldiers retreated, locking the door behind themselves. Sally let out a sigh of relief as she heard them march away. She locked the door and checked to make certain that they were well out of being able to hear anything. Her relief was short lived, however, when she turned to her nephew and saw Tails staring there with a furious look on his face. With narrowed eyes and a tight stitch at the edge of his mouth, the two tailed fox moved up to her, and then glanced over to the corner, where he knew Sonic was hiding.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, Aunt Sally," his voice was cold, harsh. "Like how he's alive, and why he's dressed up like one of our greatest nightmares."

"Come one, little bro," Sonic said as he reemerged from behind his cloak, "you're smarter than that. Put two and two together."

The hedgehog removed his helmet and walked forward. Tails could make out the scars that traced their way across his face, radiating out from the center. He noticed the voice, just like the one of the cyborg monster that had tried to kill him back in Knothole. His memory flashed, and for moment he was back in the burning village. He was down on his back, cradling his charred limbs, half mad with pain. He remembered looking up as Norrack prepared to drive his virbo claws into his heart.

"Impossible," Tails breathed. "You can't…"

"But I am. We are the same person, unfortunately." He looked down towards the floor.

The door to Saria's room opened suddenly, and everyone looked to see the young princess walk in. Her eyes were wide as she looked around, before they settled on her mother and father, standing side by side. The little girl slowly walked over towards them, and Sonic reached down and scooped her up into his arms.

Tails stood where he was, his mind digesting what he was seeing. His brother, the Mobian who had taught him so much, been there for him so many times, was the same person as the demon that had hurt him, paralyzed Amy, taken Aunt Bunnie's limbs, Antoine and Sally's arms, and killed so many other people.

"How?"

"Buttnik turned me into this," Sonic's voice held a tone that seemed alien to Tails. He recognized sorrow and defeat. "Then he set me loose against everyone else." Saria closed her eyes and leaned up closer to her father's head, while Sally's' cybernetic hand reached up and pulled him in closer to her. "The rest is hard to explain. I got free, and I've been trying to pay everyone back for my sins."

"That was you at Station Square… the sniper across from us." Tails said.

"Yes," Sonic nodded his head. "And I think you saw my Clones in action during your first mission. Your radio chatter indicated as much."

"Your… Clones?" The fox twisted his head to the left and peered intently at the hedgehog.

"We've managed to free some of them, Miles," Sally said. "Not many, just a few thousand, but they've started helping us."

There was a few moments of silence as Tails tried to digest what he'd just been told. His eyes drifted back and forth between Sally, Saria, and Sonic. He focused mostly on the hedgehog, his eyes staring intently at the armor, and then up to the hedgehog's face. It was all so confusing. So much, so fast. The memories of Norrack trying to burn him alive mixed and melded with the memories of Sonic and him playing dirt hockey. Time spent running around the great forest, Sonic teaching him to fly…

Norrack charging towards the King's guard. His whole body a blur of constant action. Screaming, blood flying everywhere, someone drawing a pistol only to be cut down at the weapons fire was absorbed by the ARC's shielding.

Screaming from his comrades as Cuy'val Dar soldiers ripped apart the Tango and Whisky platoons. The sniper fire that came in from out of nowhere and cut into the Clones and taking them out of the fight, saving the remaining members of the company. The Clone force in Station Square being driven off by those energy blasts. All of them mixed together, melding into the actions of a single being that stood before him now.

"I…" He looked around again, settling his gaze on the floor.

"I can't ask you to forgive me for all that happened at Knothole, Tails…" Sonic trailed off, and the fox could hear the same tone of despair as before in it.

"I need some time to think about all of this," he said, before he picked his rifle and helmet back up and headed for the door.

"Tails," Sonic called suddenly, and the fox turned to face him. "I've got one other thing, Derrick, he's safe with me and the others. He said if I ran into you, to tell you not to worry, that he's just fine, and that he's proud of you."

Tails' expression behind his helmet was unreadable, but there was a noticeable relaxation to his pose. "Can I tell my family?"

"If you stay discrete about it, yes," Sally said, stepping forward. "We're not sure how people will react about all of this… so please, keep it as secret as you possibly can."

"How many other people know?" The young man kept his back to Sally, even when she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Just the old gang."

Tails said nothing, merely shook his head in understanding, and then ducked outside. As the door closed behind him, Sally turned back towards Sonic. The hedgehog stood where he was, his daughter still held in his arms. She could see the slump in his shoulders, the pain on his face. Slowly, he brought up a hand, and flexed it. Sally's keen ears picked up the sounds of servos moving and the fingers bent inwards and pressed against the palm. Her daughter's eyes glistened and the young girl leaned in closer.

"I did that to him…" he closed his eyes again. "I scarred him…"

Sally walked up and pulled him and her daughter into a hug. She pushed a thumb under his chin, and forced the hedgehog to look at her.

"He'll understand in time. He just needs a while to adjust to this."

"Yeah, this isn't exactly how I planned on breaking the news to him." the ARC gestured to his armor plated body, and then sighed again.

"Have faith, that's what you used to always tell me," the princess said. "But you need to be getting back. There's a war that needs to be won."

"Yes ma'am," Sonic brought his hand up in a salute and stood stock straight, eliciting a giggle from his daughter. The little girl gave her father one last hug, and then jumped down from his arms.

Sonic remembered the words that he had spoken to Bunnie a few minutes earlier, and silently prayed that he'd was worthy of the trust that his daughter placed in him. And he hoped that his relationship with his little brother had not just crashed, that the understanding that he and Norrack were the same person would not be stronger than the bond they had once shared.

* * *

Half a world away, Jaster Merell watched a long procession of troops loading up onto their drop ships. Brianna was next to him, in full armor and casually holding a battle rifle in her hands. She turned to her husband and opened up a private comline. 

"It's confirmed then, there's no sign of him resurfacing?" she asked, he could detect the concern in her voice.

"Clone infiltrators report no sign of your father reappearing in the Mobian ranks, and since no one picked him up on our end…"

"It means he's somehow linked up with Sonic," she finished for him. "I just hope he knows what he's doing."

"Your father was wily enough to survive Malachor and to escape from Mobotropolis while Robotnik was seizing power, and survived going up against Sonic… multiple times. I think he'll be fine." Jaster reached out and laced his fingers around hers.

"I just don't want him to die, Jaster… I spent my whole life trying to live up to his memory, and now I find out that he's alive," she looked down at the metal floor. "I…"

"I know, my love, I know." Jaster said nothing else. The thought of her facing her own father in battle was too much for even his mind to think about. Something would happen, it would work out. He had to keep on believing that.

He watched the last of the transports being loaded up, and they soon started to rise up. Perhaps, with any luck, a battle wouldn't even be necessary. Maybe they could end this without having to fire a shot.

* * *

It was three hours later when the transports arrived just outside of Mobotropolis. Soldiers scrambled and defenses were manned. Sally was shaken awake from her sleep, and watched the events unfold from the screen in her room. Her warrior's instinct told her that something was wrong though. Even as sirens sounded and roused a populace form their slumber, she realized that this was no attack. While there were thousands of transports in the convoy, she saw no sign of tanks, APCs and AFVs, or any Ravagers aside from what was obviously a bare bones escort. Something was up, and that hunch was confirmed when a broadband signal began to transmit from one of the crafts. An unmarked Clone Trooper suddenly appeared on the screen. 

"People of Mobius, I am an emissary, representing Overlord Shadow. He wishes you to know that you face an eminent attack the likes of which this world will have never before witnessed." The faceless soldier said. "There is no hope of you standing up against what will be brought o t bear against you, and the Overlord offers this chance for you to surrender. He does not wish to fight a pointless battle." The soldier paused again, as if he wanted to let the message sink into all of them. "As a token of the Overlord's good will, he extends to you this gift. Have your reply ready by tomorrow."

With that, the message cut off. The princess walked forward to where her armor was and grabbed up a small headset that was there. She turned it on while simultaneously reaching for Nicole. The little A.I. bleeped on as a holographic interface came down over Sally's left eye. Instantly, he brother popped up into view. Elias looked frantic and disheveled, even for a man who had just been woken up. Sally supposed that it was understandable, but she wasted no time.

"Elias, you're the one with access to everything, what's going on?" she stared down at Nicole, typing in commands to her small friend as quickly as she could.

"We're not sure, the transports seem to be landing, and they're opening up. We've spotted a few soldiers, but it only looks like they've got two or three per drop ship." Sally rocked her head back a bit. Something was definitely up here. "We're just as confused as you are." He shrugged.

"Show me."

An image popped up, and the Prince began to study it. Clone riflemen stood at attention while others seemed to be herding something out into the open space in front of the city. The princess blinked, and the feed zoomed in. She studied the image for a few more seconds before she realized what was happening. Those were people being offloaded…

"POWs?" her breath caught in her throat. Did she dare to hope that the soldiers who had been taken prisoner at Station Square and other locations had just been released to them? Or was this a trick? Were those troopers about to be ruthlessly cut down in front of all of their eyes as some morbid form of amusement for Shadow? She certainly wouldn't put it past the self proclaimed Overlord.

Mobian soldiers were scrambled, their own LAATs and aircraft zoomed out towards the Clone forces, while tanks were scrambled. Sally nodded in approval. The presence of a massive amount of home front forces might deter the troops from any rashness, provided, of course, that the Mobians did the same.

"Order no hostile action unless either they or the prisoners are fired upon." She told her brother.

"What?" Elias balked.

"Just do it!" She shouted at him. "You want someone with an itchy trigger finger and a vendetta getting all those men and women killed?"

Her brother nodded, and gave the order.

* * *

Tails dashed around the corner, still clad in his armor. He was in one of the many hospitals that dotted the city. The news had reached him while he was still on guard patrol, and he was finally off duty. His mind was spinning, first he had found out that Sonic was alive, and now… 

He saw Joshua standing outside a room up ahead, and came up short.

"Mina's getting something for us to eat, she figured we could all use a decent meal after this. His parents are in the room with him." The ferret said with a jerk of his thumb.

Tails nodded and approached the door. He gestured towards it with a slight shake, and Joshua nodded. Hesitantly, the fox reached up and knocked. A couple of seconds later the door opened. Tails recognized Agatha, and looking behind her, he could see his friend sitting upright in a bed, holding a tired conversation with his father. Both of them looked up, and he saw a faint smile on Carmine's face. However, he noticed that it didn't reach all the way to his eyes. Tails saw that there was something different about the raccoon then. Something had happened, something that went beyond just losing an arm.

He cast the thought aside. Against all odds, Carmine was back, and for better or worse, they would celebrate that.

* * *

&

* * *

Okay, hope that was enjoyable, and that none of you want to string me up from the nearest stout oak. As always, feedback, from ideas to constructive criticism, to flames are welcomed with open arms. 

Until next time, everyone, I hope that you remain well and safe. Have a great day.


	28. Crusade

Hello again, everyone, your favorite nervous wreck here. Been trying to do a lot of stuff and I don't feel like I've got time for it all. Ahh well, just hope it hasn't impeded my writing ability too much. Crosses fingers

At any rate, the usual stuff here. Lawyers, I don't own a thing, and to everyone else who is not a bloodsucking parasite, I humbly thank you for the time you've taken to read this story. bows

At any rate, story's coming to a close here. Here's the third to last chapter.

* * *

&

* * *

Crusade

Tails sat next to his bunk. He'd just gone on guard duty, and the anxiety was already beginning to get to him. It had been almost eighteen hours since the POWs had been returned, nearly twelve since Carmine had spoken of his experiences.

* * *

"Good to have you back," Tails said as he threw his arms around the raccoon. 

"Good to be back," Carmine let out a weak chuckle. "How have you guys been."

"Worried sick about you," Mina said, her hands clinched into fists and her teeth gritted together.

Carmine laughed again, but this time it was bitter, sober. There was no light in the young man's eye. The humor was gone, and it worried Tails. He was about to ask what was wrong when his friend spoke.

"That won't be an issue. High Command's not going to let me back to the front lines." He looked out the window and flexed his new arm, a durasteel plated limb that resembled a bulkier version of his organic arm. It reminded Tails of the ones that Sally and Antoine had, but it was less customized and more general issue.

With the war on, there had been such a demand for artificial limbs and cybernetic body parts that they were being used almost as fast as they could be turned out. As a result, the corporation responsible for their production had decided that being able to conceal the limb and pass it off as an organic one was a secondary priority. It just had to be able to fit back into the armor that the soldier was going to wear.

"What do you mean?" Tails asked. "You know that Elias isn't going to cave, Geoffrey knows that too. We're going to need everyone we can to win this fight."

"Because while Jaster may be a Mandalorian, and that means he has qualms about executing people who have fallen under him, he's also not stupid." He turned around and looked up at his old squad mates. "He had chips installed in all of us that can identify us on the battlefield. There's a neural toxin stored it in. If he sees us in action, press the magic button and boom," he snapped his fingers, "half a second later, we're down on the ground hoping we've made our peace with the powers above."

Joshua and Tails both gulped, while Mina's eyes seemed to burn with rage.

"Can't they remove it?" the fox asked.

"The guys in white coats have decided that any attempt at doing so would probably trigger the chip." Carmine shook his head again. "I'll watching this one from the sidelines." Tails noticed a twitch on the left side of his face.

"What happened to you in there?" Best to be blunt, he thought.

"They didn't… torture you, did they?" Mina asked, and Tails understood. Being of Mando origin herself, the thought of her people engaging in such a practice would be horrifying.

"The Clones? No, they left us alone. So did the templates. Shadow…" he trailed off. "I don't want to talk about it."

"Carmine," Tails put his hand on the raccoon's shoulder.

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" He shook himself free and walked over to the window of his room.

Tails was thunderstruck. He had never heard his friend use that tone of voice. He slowly stared down at his hand, and then shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Carmine said. "I shouldn't have done that. It's just; I'll tell you when I'm ready."

With that the raccoon turned and tried to smile again. There was a little bit of it in his eyes this time and Tails responded in kind, grateful for any progress. Mina walked past him, and stared their friend in the eye.

"Well, with that settled, let me tell you something," she yanked him close abruptly. "If you ever scare us like that again you'll wish that Derrick had worked you to death the first day of training!" She kept her voice low, but the tone was enough to make Tails shudder. He'd forgotten she'd been able to do that.

Still, Carmine smiled weakly.

"Good to see you again too," he remarked. "I was wondering if you'd lost your touch without a verbal punching bag."

That got a laugh from everyone, and for one second, Tails and the others forgot all that was happening around them.

* * *

Half a contenent away from the young fox, the other side was gearing up. Shadow smiled behind his helmet as he looked out before him. Control panels beeped and chirped on the bridge of his newest weapons. Jaster was beside him, as was Brianna and Jonathan. Dozens of Clones manned the consoles and stations throughout the bridge, but these ones were different. While clad in armor similar to their brothers and sisters, these ones had ports and wires sticking out of their helmets, going directly into the panels of their stations. 

"All calculations are complete, sir, and the power crystals are prepped and ready," Jonathan said with a salute. Shadow could detect the glee and anticipation in the Overlander's voice, and he couldn't blame him. Kintobor had been looking forward to this for a decade.

"Have we heard anything from Mobotropolis?" The ARC trooper asked.

"Negative, Sir," one of the Clones said.

"Well then," he clasped his hands behind his back, "I suppose its time to show them why it is not kind to refuse my generous offers. Take us up, all systems to full power!"

The Clones said nothing, remained absolutely still at their stations, but they weren't just sitting there. The bridge began to rumble faintly, and then Shadow felt it lift up. He turned his attention to the various readouts, viewing screens, and sensors as the craft powered up to full. Behind him, Jonathan began to cackle. Shadow was tempted to join in, but decided not to. He instead kept his attention focused on everything that was going on around him. It was tempting, though. From this point, buried in the heart of his newest weapons, he could demolish any resistance that the Mobians could offer at a whim.

Once that was done, it would be time to spread out, and start his empire.

"Ship running at full power, all systems nominal," a Clone said.

"Excellent. Let's send the Mobian people a message they won't soon forget." Shadow folded his hands behind his back and smiled again.

Before this day was out, he would have complete control of the planet, a capable empress at his side, and have secured the first phase of his plan.

* * *

Sonic leaned back against the wall of the sewer that he was in and stared at the clock on his mission HUD. So far, nothing had happened, but he knew they were drawing ever closer to the deadline that his brother had set. Shadow was nothing if not punctual, and would be here soon, ready to either take over or fight for Mobotropolis. 

The hedgehog had a feeling that things were going to be ugly, tonight, and he had long ago learned to trust those gut feelings. He looked over to his left. Derrick was there, standing stock still as only a machine could. He was without a doubt, nervous, for tonight everyone would learn of his continued survival. The Clones, the Mobians, Shadow…

What would happen to his remaining family if Shadow ever managed to figure out that Jaster had let him go?

To his left was Antoine, sitting down and praying silently. The cybernetic hedgehog vowed to keep his old friend close. The coyote had a son and another child already on the way. He didn't want them growing up without a father. There were enough orphans, widows, and bachelors in this war already.

"Do you think the civilians have any idea that there's a small army underneath them?"

Sonic shook his head. Bendark was being his usual self, trying to lighten the mood. The Cuy'val Dar soldier was sitting on the edge of the sewer, casually dipping the bottoms of his combat boots into the flowing water. For a moment, the ARC trooper saw a child instead of a soldier, someone who was actually five years old. He couldn't help but smile just a bit.

"No, I don't think Sal bothered to tell them," Sonic said, rising up from where he sat and moving over next to where Derrick was. "How are you holding up?"

"My systems are all operating perfectly fine, if that's what you're asking," the old Mandalorian shifted his gaze over to him.

"No, I meant about Brianna, what are you going to do if you run into her." Sonic put a hand on the smaller man's shoulder.

"Try to reason with her. I don't want to have fight my own daughter." He made the motion of a sigh, and then looked down at his rifle. He rubbed a thumb over the mythosaur skull etched into the grip. "I've used this rifle for almost three decades. I've fired it, repaired it, upgraded it, and I've killed hundreds with it… but I never thought the day might come when I might have to use it against my own flesh and blood."

Sonic wondered what he might say that would help sooth the old man. He didn't need him to be an emotional mess with what was coming up.

"I'm sure, if anything, that your daughter is even less eager to scrap it out with you," he thought for a moment about he and Saria having a physical confrontation, and had to repress a shudder. "It'll work out, I'm sure."

"I hope you are right, hedgehog, I really do." He paused and chuckled to himself. "If it weren't for that, I'd admit that I'd actually be looking forward to this little battle. Mandalorians to my side and back, and you leading the charge… this'll be one for the bards, as they used to say."

"It'll go down in the history books alright," Sonic muttered. "Question is, who gets to write that book?" He sighed. "Guess there's only going to be one way to find out."

His commline began to beep, and he switched it on. Sally's face appeared in the upper corner of his HUD. She was running around her room, he noticed, slapping on bits of armor and strapping a pistol to her hip.

"Long range sensors just picked up something about two thousand kilometers away from us. They're not sure what it is, but it's big, and closing fast." The ground squirrel fumbled with a strap to her helmet as she continued. "They think it's going to be here in about half an hour."

"Huh, seems a little slow for a bunch of dropships," Sonic tapped a finger against the side of his helmet. "I don't think my brother is one to pause for dramatic effect, normally, but do you suppose he's trying to psyche us out?"

"It's certainly possible," Sally shrugged and then powered up her helmet, a newer model that completely covered her face. "Is everyone in your group inside, Elias is about to raise the shields."

"We're all good to go down here. The boys and girls are getting a little restless, truth be known."

"Well, I think they'll be getting their action soon enough." The princess replied. Then she paused. "You take care of yourself," she held up a hand, and Sonic noticed the burned and battered ring on her finger. "I did not spend nine years mourning you to get you back and then lose you again."

"Yes ma'am," he winked at her, "I'll make sure to come home."

"It really will be home this time, I promise." Her hand reached out and brushed up against the screen. "I'll make sure the world knows what you did for us, for all of us."

"You're going to spoil me one of these days," he laughed and then looked at her poignantly. "You take care of yourself as well, Sal."

"Don't worry too much. Shadow wants me alive, remember?" she looked down. "Whatever mixed blessing that might be."

"I love you."

He could tell that she was smiling at him and her finger traced the viewing panel once more.

"I love you too." She said, right before the screen went dark.

The hedgehog paced back towards the wall of the sewer, and then looked around to the Clones who were gathered around him. Some were sleeping, others were making checks of their weapons, and still others communicating with their fellows. Sonic wondered how they did it, for a moment. Though in many ways his siblings, the Clones were still alien to him. They had found out that their lives had but one purpose, and that was to kill and conquer, and on top of that, that they had been artificially shortened. Yet they did not despair their position in life. He never heard one complain, or mope about how it 'wasn't fair' that they should only live a couple of decades at most. Instead, they joked with each other, practiced together, and recently had begun to play games, at least in so far as Derrick had taught them.

They truly were a breed apart from anything that he had encountered before. No matter how this ended, the ARC trooper vowed to himself that they would not be forgotten. When the last Clone had passed on to the next world, leaving behind nothing but a suit of armor, an old rifle, and their memories, those memories would live on in some form. That he swore.

* * *

Sally primed her Lancer rifle as she made her way to the control room. Outside, the darkness of night ruled, but dawn would be here in a couple of hours. The ground squirrel wondered if that might be some manner of metaphor, light rising to fight off its opposite? She shook her head. Now was not the time for such thoughts. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. That was how she had always been, and there was no reason to change that. The invasion fleet that was heading towards tem was absolutely huge, occupying several dozen cubic miles of air. That might be tens of thousands of transports carrying soldiers, tanks, and anything else the Neo Crusaders might need in order to take this city. 

She reached the large double doors that led to the War Room. They had been fortified so heavily that they now resembled the entrance to a fortress. Heavy repeaters and wall and ceiling mounted weaponry occupied the hallway leading up to the nerve center. A small portable shield generator was also set up and ready to be activated if the enemy should penetrate this far.

The soldiers manning the defenses saluted as she walked past them. She chuckled silently as she realized that she was being identified by her old vest. The navy blue piece of cloth was hanging over her armor, the pockets holding various ammo packs and items she would need when the time came.

As she reached the doors, they hissed open and revealed the interior of the War Room. Her brother, father, and Geoffrey were, there, along with officers and commanders. Communications experts also sat at their stations directing their squads and units to the appropriate positions, as well as taking final stock of all working aircraft, tanks, and other support vehicles. Though she wasn't certain if it would be enough, she knew one thing. If Shadow wanted to take this city, he was in for a fight. The princess nodded to her brother, and then headed over towards one of the primary sensor stations.

"How's it looking, soldier?" she asked, staring at the large blob that was a thousand miles away from them now.

"So much jamming being thrown around that I can't get a good picture no matter how hard I try, ma'am." He muttered, reaching up and fiddling with his controls. "Whatever kind of ECM the Mandos are using right now, it's beyond anything I've ever seen before. This would be easier if we had any satellites left up in orbit."

Sally was about to walk away when she noticed something. The large blob on the screen was beginning to distort and shrink. The technician sat up in his seat, and stared at it. Again, his hands flew to his controls, but he noticed that they were having no effect.

"What the?" he stared at the screen and then looked back over his shoulder. "Sirs, I think you might want to have a look at this!"

Elias and Geoffrey rushed up, the former staring right into the screen, the latter hesitating just long enough to give the princess a glare. Sally narrowed her eyes in return, though she could tell that St. John couldn't see them. She flexed her hand as well, let the faint whine of servo motors give her response to the skunk. He got the point, and turned to face the screen. Sally looked back at it, the blob was almost gone now, forming into five distinct shapes. They were roughly triangular, coming together in what appeared to be sleek wedges. What stunned her was the sheer size of these objects. The sensor operator rotated the viewing, getting a better three dimensional look at them and his jaw dropped open. Each one of the craft was reading at nearly two kilometers in length, almost a third as wide at the largest point, and slowly building up the further back one went.

"Get someone on the lookout stations to get a bead on these things, now!" Sally ordered, moving her hand down to her thigh and flipping open Nicole.

The order was relayed, and a few seconds later, the visual lookout stations that had been set in the remoter areas well outside of the city gave them feedback. Sally squinted as she looked at the night vision tinted picture, and then felt her jaw drop. Her eyes were not fooling her at all. The readouts were accurate… these, ships, whatever they were, were enormous. They were unlike anything that she had ever seen, though their dagger like shapes reminded her of the Ravagers that had been utilized by the Neo Crusaders during their attacks on Station Square. What worried her more, though, was what she saw towards the rear of the ships were what truly worried her. A multitude of what could only be gigantic gun emplacements were visible. She thought she could make out other ones, but she wasn't sure. Regardless, they could be here for only one purpose. Chewing her lip inside of her helmet, the princess pulled up Sonic's comm system and began to transmit what she was seeing to the hedgehog.

Deep underground, the ARC trooper felt his jaw fall as he stared at these craft, but not for the same reasons as the others. Those ships… he knew them. He had seen them. The battles that raged in his nightmares. Those were the ships that the aliens had flown into battle. How had his brother gotten his hands on those? Where on Mobius could they have been hidden, and how had he gotten them running? The questions bombarded his mind, and then, with mounting horror, he realized something else as well. He had seen those ships in action, watched as they'd battled the aliens' demonic foes.

They could erase Mobotropolis in an instant if they wanted to, destroy it without even bothering to use their heavy weapons.

This battle would be over before it even began.

"Sal," he whispered to her. "You've got to start underground evacuation… now. The shield won't hold for more than a few seconds against those things."

"What do you mean?" she whispered back.

"I've seen them… I don't have time to explain, but get your people underground and out of there as fast as you can." He turned to Derrick.

"We've got a snag."

* * *

"I wonder if they're quivering in terror yet?" Shadow said as he stared at one of the read outs on the bridge of his ship. 

He wished he could have been there to see the reaction on the faces of the sods manning the sensor stations when he'd ordered the jamming suites on the ships shut down. Ah, well, there was always a chance one of them would survive, and then he'd be able to rip the knowledge right out of his head.

"What's our ETA?" he turned towards Jaster.

"About seven minutes, Sir." The Mandalore replied, before moving in amongst his Clones. "If you don't' mind, I'm going to head to the landing bay."

"Go right ahead, Mandalore. I look forward to you completing your objectives. Once you've done that, I shall join you on the ground."

The armored soldiers nodded, and then marched out of the room. Shadow turned to Jonathan, and nodded. The diminutive Overlander cackled and rubbed his hands together. Moving over to a control panel, he opened up a line with the weapons crews.

"All Clones, begin ascertaining targets, just as planned. Once the shields are down, prepare for a bombardment with the pulsar battiers, full—"

"A full power blast would obliterate the entire city and anything within a hundred clicks of it, Jonathan," Shadow held up a finger as he turned to face him. "As much as you might enjoy that. I want to rule an empire… not a glass crater. Crews, light batteries only. Once the shield is down, proceed with your orders."

Jonathan looked downcast, but then he shrugged and turned to resume his work.

"Obliterated or conquered, so long as I can have my revenge on the little furballs," His eyes narrowed to glare, and his tiny fists clinched. He started to shake, and then paused, took a deep breath, and withdrew comb from his pocket, before running it back through his hair.

"Don't fret, old friend. You'll get your vengeance. I guarantee it."

* * *

Sonic and the Clones scrambled, spreading down throughout the city sewer system. His mind was still trying to fathom what he had seen, trying to wrap itself around the fact that Shadow had, for all intents and purposes, just made himself invincible. Now, the hedgehog had a task before him that he never would have imagined, how to try to evacuate a city of more than a hundred million people? His mind was rocked with the challenge, and much as he hated it, his brain kept telling him one thing: he couldn't. There would be no way to sneak them all past those ships and the Clone armies that they were waiting to belch forth. The Mandalorians would spot the evacuation in short order. And even if he could get them out, where would he take them? There was an old evacuation point that Shysa and the others had discovered some time back, a tunnel leading from this region into a series of underground caverns, one of which spiraled back towards their base, but Stonehenge could never support so many people. 

There was but one choice: get as many as he could while trying to see if he could lure his brother down. If he could cut off the viper's head, there might be a chance for his people to rally and achieve something. But as long as Shadow was alive and the Clones had those ships, there would never be a chance for them to win.

"Gamma platoon, how are you guys doing?" he asked.

"Moving into position, Sir," the Clone sergeant on the other end replied. "We're approaching our first target now. I just hope the civilians don't panic when they see us."

"Be careful to explain the situation to them, I'd suspect they're ready to panic now," he hesitated for a moment. "Try to specialize in military or ex-military if you can. If I can't stop Shadow, we're going to need all the soldiers we can get to have a snowballs chance in the underworld of salvaging this."

"Understood, Sir," the sergeant replied.

The hedgehog opened up another line to Sally. He only had to wait seconds for her to pick up.

"I've sent the Clones around to try and evac as many as they can, but don't expect any miracles." He told her as he rounded a corner. "We're heading towards where you are right now. Expect us to be there in a few minutes."

"You don't honestly think that I'm about to abandon my people?" the princess told him, bringing her rifle up to where he could see it.

"Wouldn't dream of it, but you're going to need back up." He told her, and managed a smile, despite everything.

"You're fastest route is to get in through the Throne Room. Most of the lower levels are going to be locked out." She said. "I'll see if I can send a map through Nicole to you."

It appeared just a few seconds later, a three dimensional map of the palace, complete with their current location and the route that they needed to be on. The hedgehog looked up to his motion sensor and then back over his shoulder. The Clones he'd taken with him were at his back. Everything was in motion, endgame had arrived, now it was time to try to end this.

* * *

Tails stood near his assigned sector, ready with the rest of his squadmates to defend his home. Every part of his body seemed to be covered in sweat, and his hands trembled. He swallowed, feeling his parched throat muscles contract. It would not be long before the assault began, Station Square all over again. The young fox took a deep breath, tried to calm his nerves, and focus. They had learned everything they could of the tactics and stratagems that were going to be tossed at them. Now the time had come for them to try and put it to use. 

However, he was getting the sinking feeling that all the training in the world could not have prepared them for what they were going to face. Those ships, whatever they were, were massive. He could see them on the horizon through his night vision. Mere seconds were left until they would at last settle over the city. What happened after that was going to be anyone's guess.

"You know, if Carmine were here, we'd probably get a joke," Mina muttered, palming her rifle.

"You miss him?" Joshua looked over to her, while the twins talked nervously to themselves.

"We could use a grenadier," was all the Mongoose said.

"Well, if you want a joke, just look on the bright side of things," Tails felt the need to laugh suddenly come over him.

"What bright side?" Joshua asked. "What bright side could their possibly be to a situation like this?"

"Well, if the illustrious Overlord does plan to wipe us out with those things, I would say that, judging by the size of them, death will be quick in getting here." He pretended to look at a watch as the first of the ships rumbled over.

Even through the shield, Tails could feel the vibrations of the air as the multi-kilometer ships passed overhead. Even though they were easily three thousand meters in the air, he could still see their weapon emplacements. Within moments, they would doubtless begin to rain death down upon him. He wondered how long the shields would hold. Maybe long enough for… no, Shadow wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't have dragged something like that out here if he hadn't been able to use it.

Back towards the heart of the city, the young soldier thought that he could hear screaming. People and civilians giving themselves over to the panic and rushing about helter skelter, trying to be anywhere other than where they were now. He received no warning when it came, one moment there was nothing, the next, blue beams of energy smashed into the massive shield bubble. Tails saw the energy barrier glow white hot in the aftermath of the two or so dozen bolts that the ship had sent down. Another volley followed, less than a second later. The glow was spreading, and the fox looked on, aghast. The Mobotropolis shielding system had been designed to be able to withstand months of conventional siege warfare, and it was already starting to fail. He had expected it to go down quickly, but not in the opening minute.

A third volley, a forth, a fifth. Then came the sixth, and the shielding system came down. How much longer did he have to live? Minutes, seconds? Anti-aircraft batteries all over the city opened up. Energy bolts, missiles, and aircraft streaked towards the airborne behemoths. Just as they were to impact, however, there was a white flash. The bolts were absorbed, the missiles exploded harmlessly mere feet from their targets. They were shielded.

Tails never even saw the attacks, just the blue after trails that they left behind them. Explosions flared up all around the city, and calls began to scream in.

"Battery twelve here, they just took out the whole unit!"

"They've neutralizing our air defenses!"

"They wiped out the whole armor company!"

"Shield generator power plants are being neutralized!"

Tails could only watch in horror as the ships roamed over the city, their weapon systems precisely targeting the ground batteries and larger concentration of tanks and IFVs. One ninety seven fighter craft suddenly disappeared into puff of orange flame and smoke, destroyed by the point defense systems of a foe against which they had no defense. The ships were beginning to spread out, each one heading towards different sectors of the city. He looked to the rest of his platoon, still suffering from the losses of Station Square. Was this how they were going to go out, annihilated form above with no chance to fight back?

"All units fall back, fall back towards the Palace."

"Roger that," he said automatically, before pivoting and running back towards central command.

The rest of the unit fell in beside him, keeping their spacing apart. They had a full three kilometers to move until they reached their fall back point, and not much time to get there. Command wouldn't send transports up, not against something like this. A high pitched screaming reached his ears, and he looked up to see wings of Ravagers streaking by. They were heading after the remaining one ninety sevens, attempting to remove any chance that the air force might have had for air superiority. He knew what they would do after that, though. He kept scanning around, looking for anything that might aid them in regards to cover. Once the Ravagers were through with their aerial opponents, they would turn their attention to taking out ground forces and supporting the troop invasion. He did not want his platoon to be above ground when that happened.

* * *

Sally leaned against the wall of the corridor and checked her rifle again. The War Room walls felt as if they'd been closing in on her, and she'd need to step outside, if only for a moment. She was fidgeting, she knew it, but this would be her ultimate test. She had been too young to make a difference when Julian had made his bid for power, but that had been nearly twenty three years ago. She heard a clanking sound and looked up. Bunnie was coming over, clad in a heavy Erado battle suit. In her hands she held a repeater, and over her back, Sally could see a heavy M-K slung over her back. The rabbits strength would allow her to use it without the tripod, an invaluable advantage if the Neo Crusaders managed to penetrate this far. 

"You look ready to hurt something," Sally said with a laugh.

"Just like old times Sally girl," her friend said. "I've put Guy and Saria together in their rooms under heavy guard.

"What about our friends?" the princess asked.

"They've also been informed to expect a visit from some rogue Clones, and the signal to use to make sure its them. Once that happens, they all pull out, and we have one less thing to worry about."

"So you are working with them."

Both girls looked up to see Geoffrey St. John in front of them. The skunk's eyes were slightly unfocused, darting wildly back and forth between the two of them. Sally prepared herself for anything.

"Should have figured," he looked over to Sally, his right hand twitching towards the pistol on his belt, but stopping when she casually pointed her rifle at him. "Should have figured that you'd be working together to undermine me. Never were one to share power, were you princess?"

"What are you talking about?" the ground squirrel asked.

"You didn't like me getting close to Elias, giving him the advice he needed to keep everything together, did you?" His eyes burned with rage, and his left hand clenched into a fist. "You knew that he was first in line, but that he would listen to you. You wanted to rule through him, didn't you? And then I came along and got in the way. You've been out to get me ever since. First the Neo Crusaders trying to take everything over, but he still didn't turn to you, so you had to go even farther. You resurrected a ghost, gave him everything he needed to come and ruin me. Then you had the gall to send him to me personally!"

"Well, Sally girl, you always did think that ole stinky here was a little high strung," Sally could hear the glare in her friend's voice. "Guess he finally went over the deep end, eh?"

"It was bound to happen eventually. You get to his position by backstabbing and manipulation, you're bound to be afraid of the number of enemies you make. All it takes is a little slip up, and your grip on sanity goes out the window." Sally leaned back against the wall, keeping her rifle pointed at him.

"You," he made a move for his pistol. "You're planning to betray us all. You're working with that monster!"

"Don't even think about it Geoffrey," Sally said as she leveled her gun. "Right now, I've got my people's freedom and possibly my daughter's life on the line. I will not allow a wildcard element to screw up whatever chance we might have of salvaging something out of this!" she took two steps forward, pointing the rifle right at his head. "So if you don't want your brains scattered all over the wall, I suggest you get back in the command room and try to coordinate the defense."

Geoffrey shot daggers at her, and ground his teeth. His eyes looked like those of a rabid animal, and his fists clenched open and shut. Sally could tell that he wanted to close them around her throat and squeeze the life from her. Finally, with a snarl, he twisted and stormed back in the direction from the War Room. Sally narrowed her gaze as she stared at the skunk's retreating back.

"You think he's up tot the task?" Bunnie asked as she stepped in close.

"Not really, but I can't just take over, much as I'd like to," She opened up Nicole again. "Sonic, how are you doing?"

"Nearly there, Sal," the ARC replied, "we'll be with you soon."

"Good," She said and close up the A.I. Then she looked over to Bunnie.

"Do or die time, Sally girl," the rabbit said, and brandished her gun.

* * *

Amadeus looked up out of the window, and saw one of the massive ships pass directly overhead. The fox growled quietly, twisted about on his heels and stomped back towards his bedroom. Rosemary was there, her tail moving back and forth in agitation and worry. He couldn't blame her, their son was out there right in the heart of that mess. 

There was an armoire near his bed, and he stepped over to it.

"De," his wife said. "I know what you're thinking, but no. I've already got one family member out there in the middle of this and—"

"I won't let him fight alone, Rose," the man opened up the door. In it was an old suit of armor and a pulse rifle, both of them from his days in the Great War. They weren't his originals, which had been destroyed when their village had been discovered, but they were close enough.

He put on the armor and loaded the rifle in short order, and head back out towards the door.

"Amadeus, please," he heard his wife begging, but his mind was made up.

He turned to face her, but then he heard something. He looked over to the door of the house, and watched it start to slide open. Confusion blossomed for just a moment, how had someone possibly known the key code? He didn't stop to think after that, just leveled his rifle and prepared himself. Cover would be useless. He knew what a Jurkadir rifle could do. Nothing in his house would provide protection.

The door opened and he fired off a shot, and the bolt cut through the air. The person at the door rocked backwards with a surprised grunt and a curse.

"Frak it all, Amadeus, have you forgotten to look at what you're shooting at?" he heard an irritated and familiar voice hiss.

The figure reappeared, and he saw the black and red armor. Derrick stood there in front of him. Stunned and shocked, the fox nearly dropped his weapon. Tails had told them he was still alive, but to find him here? Now?

"Put that peashooter away before you hurt yourself and listen to your wife. You can't do any good out there, that gun won't even scuff a Neo's armor plating." The Mandalorian motioned with his hand. "Come on, grab Rose and follow me, and for the love of the Goddess, stay low and fast."

"What's going on?" he asked.

"A discreet evac. There's a building right across the street that we're using. Now come on!" Derrick whispered, turning back and heading out the door.

Amadeus didn't question his old friend. He turned to find Rose standing right behind him. She nodded, holding a small sack. Amadeus could see a holoprojector and a few older fashioned photos sticking out of it. He put his arm around her, took a last look at their home, and headed out into the street. He could see Derrick standing in a doorway about forty feet away from them. The Death Watchman motioned them over, and with a quick look skyward, the two of them raced across the street. In the distance, they could hear the explosions of more artillery batteries going up in smoke. Amadeus gave one passing look towards one of the ships, and then moved into the apartment building.

What they saw in their stunned them. Neo Crusaders were hurriedly running around, directing civilians to a large hole that had apparently been drilled into the floor.

"Liberated Clones," Derrick said, still at his post by the door. "We're getting as many people out of here as we can. But we can't take the whole city with us."

"So why here?"

"A lot of veteran soldiers and their families live here. We need people who know how to fight." The Mandalorian said. He peered around through the streets again. "Not an easy choice, and I'm surprised that Sally had the guts to make the call. I don't envy her right now."

"Sir, ma'am, down the hole please," a female Clone said, gesturing with her rifle to the entrance that they had made. The two of them hesitated for a moment, looking around and then staring at Derrick's back.

"We've hacked the communications systems of the Mobian army, and we're already searching for Tails and his unit, along with any other veteran soldiers that we can track down." Derrick said without even bothering to turn. "Now go, old friends, I have enough to worry about without you guys being added to the equation."

The two foxes exchanged a glance, and then jumped down into the hole. Underneath the ground was another group of Clones, waving them onward and at the far end of the sewer tunnel, a massive group of civilian and former military personnel. The two of them exchanged on more glance, and then fell in with the group.

* * *

It happened suddenly, just as they were reaching the border areas around the Government District, a large series of walls and automated defenses. A pulsing noise reached Tails' ears, coming from behind him. The soldier turned, and what he saw took his breath away. There was a flashing pulse of light in the middle of the street which rapidly grew in size, nearly blinding him. His polarizing visor was able to protect him from the light, if just barely. 

The light in the middle faded, revealing the metallic interior of something, and untold numbers of Neo Crusaders. He barely had time to shout a warning before the genetically engineered soldiers opened fire. Three members of the platoon didn't reach cover in time, and were cut down instantly by volumes of suppressive fire. Explosions filled the air as the automated turrets were disabled in seconds by precision fire from anti-material rifles.

"Command! Command!" he ducked down as a barrage of fire streaked past him and through the gates of the Government District. "Alert, Neo Crusader ground forces are present and incoming. The freaks are teleporting in somehow!"

"Roger that," his company coordinator said. "All units advise, enemy forces are using unknown means to teleport into the city, keep your eyes and ears open."

A tank came around the corner, all of its weapons firing into the portal, only to be blown to pieces seconds alter by a hellacious barrage of missiles. Tails peeked up from behind his cover, signaling his squad to move back. The Palace had fortified defenses and a secondary energy grid that might be able to stall them for a while. His foes could smell victory, and like blood to a feral wolf, they closed in and battled with an intensity that he had never before seen. Their performance at Station Square paled in comparison to what he was seeing now.

Their combat droids moved forward, laying down missile and particle beam fire. In seconds, the two tailed fox saw an entire platoon's cover destroyed. The forty odd soldiers were cut down seconds later as a Crusader fire team moved in. He spotted an opening, and fired off a four round burst. It caught the exposed solider of a Clone rifleman, spinning the armor trooper around and knocking him down. However, he barely spotted the grenadier that popped out a moment later. Tails threw himself to the ground as a grenade hit the edge of the wall. Lancer fire flew over his head and he saw Mina and the others covering for him. He scrambled up and ran over to where they were, joining the rest of his platoon in retreating.

Others were not so lucky. His comm. Lines were screaming with other members of the company that had taken up sniping positions in buildings.

"Goddess! They're shooting through the floors-" the voice was cut off by a scream.

"Command advise, the Mandos know where we are and they're shooting up through the ground floor at us! They can see through the walls!"

"I think that's our cue to fall back," he heard Joshua say.

Another stream of fire blasted through the building over them, sending molten bits of permacrete onto their armor. The substances hissed and filled Tails' helmet with an acrid stench. He grit his teeth in frustration, leaned around and spotted an assault trooper. He leveled his gun and pulled the trigger. The trooper saw him at almost the same time, and his repeater fired three rounds. Two went high of the mark, the third one slammed into the fox's exposed shoulder.

Tails was knocked off his feet by the power behind the bolt, the heavy armor plating of his uniform ripped off and melted away to almost nothing.

"Corporal!" he heard someone shout.

"I'm okay," he groaned, looking down at his arm. "Just a grazing shot.

The remnants of the corner was blasted away as the assault trooper opened fire again. Mina took a step forward, but Tails placed a hand against her.

"We need to fall back. There's not enough of a defensible position here." He grunted and got to his knees. "Move!"

* * *

Jaster leaned back against the side of the building and took a moment to stare at the map read out. His crusaders were making good progress in capturing the city. With the aide of the Dreadnaughts, their Raptor transports were now landing tanks and additional reinforcements from all over the city. Royal Army forces were falling back and surrendering left and right. Jaster gave the battle only a few more minutes before everything crumbled. 

But there were still some areas where the Mobians continued to fight on, oblivious to how they were being overwhelmed elsewhere. The Mandalore couldn't help but smile as he saw them valiantly trying to hold back his children. He wondered if his father had the same adoration for the forces that he had gone up against.

"Sniper teams bravo and Charlie in position, Sir. Marking targets." A voice echoed over his commline.

"Roger that, take them down, prioritize anti-armor automated defenses."

The marksmen that had boosted up on top of the Mobotropolis buildings went to work with lethal efficiency, and he saw that the defensive turrets around the Palace's outer perimeter were soon falling. Once those were taken care of, he ordered his tanks into position. There was a beeping signal from the other end of his line, and he switched communications channels. Brianna was on the other line.

"Mandalore, we've got a problem over here in the industrial district," She said. "We're facing a combined assault from dug in Royal Army defenders and rouge Clone units."

"Say again?" The silver armored soldier could hardly believe what he was hearing. "Rouges? Osick… All unit, be advised, we have rogue units present. Pick up all spectrum scanning and stay alert for priority alpha threat. Repeat, priority alpha threat believed to be present somewhere within the city."

"Jaster, what about the rouges?" his wife asked.

For once, Jaster was clueless as to what he should do. Those Clones. They were his children, taken from his own flesh and blood and made into living soldiers. They were the hope for the future of his kind. He had helped trained them, taught them how to survive in a world that despised his kind for deeds done a generation ago. He had named some of them, given them an identity beyond just that of an alphanumerical serial code. He had taught them the meaning behind those names, the great soldiers of times past who had borne them. He'd taught them pride, discipline, and honor. Were any of those Clones among the number that were now loyal to Sonic?

All those questions bombarded his brain in a period of less than a second. Suddenly, the air around him felt cold, despite his climate controlled armor. The joy of a victory was gone from him as he realized what he had to do.

"Make it swift, my love, make it honorable." He heard her acknowledge, her voice thick with emotion.

A sense of wrongness filled the wolf. They were a family, like they had been in the days before Malachor. This wasn't right. Clones battling each other, killing each other. The world was turning upside down, despite everything.

"Mandalore, I've got another thing over on the west side of the Palace area," he heard Xarga report in.

"Show me."

* * *

Tails' platoon was nearly up against the wall. Five more had gone down in the retreat, and they had only managed two confirmed kills in return. The men and women under his command were fighting like demons, but it wasn't enough to turn the relentless tide of armored behemoths that were bearing down on them. The doors to the western edge of the palace were less than a hundred feet behind them, and from there it was only a matter of time until they were surrounded and either killed or forced into surrender. 

Tapping into one of the few UAV drones still up in the air, Tails saw a trio of tanks approaching their position. A final retreat was their only option for staying alive for the next minute, but he wasn't certain how to do it. It was amazing that they hadn't been picked apart by snipers yet, and to top things off, there had been units disappearing without command having the faintest idea what had happened to them.

"Command, requesting support!" he yelled. Static met his reply. The Crusaders had apparently gotten enough portable jamming stations into position that it was now impossible for them to communicate with anyone.

He could see the tanks advancing through the UAV's visual feed. Any second now, they would demolish what little protection his platoon had left, and then that would be it. Then he heard them, a series of high pitched streaks. Rockets flashed by their position a half second later, heading out and smashing into the buildings around where the tanks were. Another barrage followed in rapid succession, and Tails realized that it was now or never. The Neo Crusaders seemed stunned about what was going on, and the fox had a rising suspicion that what had been targeted was not the tanks themselves but the sniper positions. He looked up to see who their savior might have been as he retreated with his platoon, and caught sight of a retreating soldier. He wasn't able to catch a read out, the man had disappeared too quickly, but he knew they would meet up soon. At this rate, everyone was going to be either pushed back into the heart of the palace or die in the process of.

They managed to clear the open area and get behind cover during the pause. Still, Tails knew it wasn't safe. Despite the inevitable last resort that it represented, he ordered the platoon to move into the Palace. The tanks wouldn't be able to hurt them there, and the chokepoints meant that they might be able to inflict higher causalities if they could get set up in time.

A short distance away Xarga relayed the information he'd discovered back to Jaster.

"Without a doubt, Sir, it was a former POW." He said.

"Just one?" Jaster's voice was deep, it reminded the feline of a forced calm. His leader was mixed up right now. "You're sure."

"Yes sir. He managed to pop off a couple of rockets at our snipers. We're not sure how he managed to suit up, though. All out data hacking indicates that they weren't going to endanger the soldiers by putting them back into circulation."

"He went rogue, old friend. I'll let him live. Courage like that is rare, and shouldn't go unrewarded." Jaster's voice went silent after that.

* * *

Sally stood by the heavy repeaters at the War Room entrance. It wasn't looking good. The entire Neo Crusader assault had taken less than an hour, and they had managed to capture almost the entire city, nearly sixteen hundred square miles of territory. She was at a loss to believe it. Even Robotnik had never managed that. 

Then again, Robotnik had been using Swat Bots.

Her only relief, fleeting though it may have been, was that the Neo Crusaders appeared to be in a good mood. Reports, the few that had managed to filter in through the disgusting amount of jamming that the enemy was producing, indicated that they were taking prisoners, rather than executing soldiers who had been forced to surrender.

It was only a moment, later, though, when whatever fleeting bits of hope she might have felt were swept away. She heard a loud curse, and looked over to one of the security stations. The camera feed was of the outside of the main entrance to the palace. Another one of those strange jump points was opening, though this one was much smaller. As it reached its brightest, a lone figure stepped through. Sally recognized the armor, and a combination of fear and rage filled her heart. Shadow was at the steps of the Palace, and there was nothing to stop him. Sally watched as his caster targeted the camera and took it out. White noise and static replaced the feed.

They had minutes left, maybe less than that, before he arrived, and she knew that nothing they had could stop him. Still, she had to try. A beeping noise inside of her helmet told her Sonic was on the other line.

"Saria and Guy are both out of the way. I've got a Cuy'Val Dar squad taking them back down to the sewers. Took a little longer than I'd anticipated though. Those guards you left were hard to convince." he said.

"Good. Shadow's on his way in here. I don't want her anywhere near that monster."

Sonic remained silent and said nothing at first. She heard him take a deep breath. "Give me two minutes and I'll be there."

"I'll keep him busy if he gets here first," she narrowed her eyes and prepared herself for what was coming. Shadow would not get her home without her having something to say about it.

* * *

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Okay, hope that was a good chapter, and that the problems were not many. As always, feedback and ideas of all types and natures are appreciated, and if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I won't mind at all. But, I have to cut this short, as I've got a class coming up. Hope you all have a great day, and until we meet again, stay safe and good luck. 


	29. Paradise Lost

Hello everyone, hope you're having a swell day. As for me, well, college has been tough, and my Holocaust study class is proving morbidly depressing. I know its been a while since I updated, and hopefully this will make up for it. The chapter's about thirty pages (and in excess of 13,000 words, making it my biggest chapter ever) long, and hopefully, its got quality to back up that quantity. (crosses fingers)

Special thanks to Cyrex for helping me out with some much needed advice.

And as always, thanks to you, the reader, for taking time out of your life to check this story out. To those of you who have reviewed, I hope that my responses have been to your liking.

Disclaimer- the usual, I own nothing except my own characters.

Before the chapter starts, though, I would like to make a humble request. I've been trying to get some fanart done for these stories, but I've been unsuccessful thus far (and my own drawing skills as less than that of my handwriting (meaning about on par with your average first grader's. Seriously, I manage to butcher stick figures)). If anyone is interested, please let me know. Thank you so much.

Enough about my problems though, here's the second to last chapter of the story. Hope you enjoy it. As an aside, this chapter is probably best read with a side of music (I recommend something heavy and dramatic, possibly with a chorus, but that's my personal taste)

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Paradise Lost

"Where are we going again?" Mina asked him as they raced down in a cargo elevator.

"The science lab," Tails responded, his eyes on the blinking floor numbers. "Everything's going to hell around here and if we stay, we're dead men walking. We're going to grab some friends, try to get to the War Room, and then find a way out of this mess."

"Question," Joshua said. "What about the vast numbers of genetically engineered killing machines running around that want nothing more than to smear us all over the wall?"

"We avoid them if we can, fight them if we can't," the fox said.

"Any plans beyond that?" Mina seemed unusually nervous about all of this.

Tails remained silent. His world was crumbling around him. History was repeating itself. Only this time it would be worse. He took a deep breath, and prepared himself. Then something crackled Joshua's radio. The ferret looked confused for a second, but placed his hand up next to his helmet and patched it through to Tails.

"Foxtrot platoon, this is Rogue One, do you copy, over…"

Tails looked to the Joshua, but the communications specialist just shook his head. Rogue wasn't a designated Royal Army unit that they knew of. This was something, someone else.

"Say again, Foxtrot Platoon, please respond if you can hear this message. We have your current location and are sending backup, expect them in two."

The line went dead after that. Tails frowned. Communications between themselves and high command was spotty at best due to all the jamming being toss around by the Neo Crusaders and those huge ships they had. The voice had sounded familiar, though. He wasn't able to place it, but he knew that he had heard it. He fidgeted in place, weighing his options. Something about this just didn't feel right. The doors of the elevator opened up as they reached the deep underground portions of the Palace.

"Spread out, and stay alert," he said to the remaining members of the platoon.

Weapons raised, they advanced, scoping out corridors and taking cover behind whatever was available. At the far end of the hallway, Tails could see their destination. Sir Charles science lab was in a tight lockdown, but hopefully he could get him to open up. The fox just prayed that Amy was in there with him.

The door camera watched them as they approached, and Tails heard the old man's voice a moment later.

"Well, it seems our rescue has arrive," there was a bit of laughter to his voice, "but not quite who I was expecting."

"What do you mean, Chuck?" Tails asked.

"I'm expecting additional backup in about sixty seconds. Just be careful, your first impulse will probably be to shoot them." There was a pause. "Just let Rotor and I get our work saved, and then we can leave."

"Amy in there with you?" he asked.

"Yes, and she's been worried sick about you." Sir Charles said, though the fox could barely hear him over the sound of the keyboard that he was pounding away on.

Joshua brought his fist up, placing his hand next to the side of his head. Tails' comm. Crackled again, and the mysterious voice returned.

"Foxtrot Platoon, we read your position, we're inbound in just a moment, please hold your fire."

"Do as they say, Sonny," Sir Charles' voice came over the speaker.

"What? How do you?"

"Because I was listening to the conversation, that's how."

Tails said nothing, but heard the elevator doors behind them suddenly ding. As one, the platoon shifted and got their weapons ready.

"Hold fire unless fired upon," Tails said, praying that he wouldn't regret the decision.

The doors slid open, and there was a collective gasp from his platoon. Six Clones stood there, their weapons braced against their shoulders. They were ready to lower them if they had to, but Tails could tell that it was a non hostile position. By the twin angled crests coming off of their helmets, he could also tell that they were Cuy'val Dar. He resisted the instinctive urge to pull the trigger on his Lancer rifle as they dashed forward.

One of them stopped and saluted as he neared Tails.

"Sergeant Marcus of Omega Battalion, pleased to meet you in person at last," he said.

"Omega Battalion?" the fox cocked his head in confusion.

"We're a group of liberated Clone soldiers fighting on your side." He said as the rest of his squad took up covering positions on the elevator.

"And they're here to bail us out," Sir Charles said. A moment later, the blast door opened, and he emerged. Rotor was right next to him, balancing a pair of data glasses on his nose. Green and red text was flying up the lenses, and his eyes darting over them.

"All data secured, no corruption, we're good to go," he gave a thumbs up.

"Tails!" Amy came forward gently, her hands yanking her wheelchair to a stop.

The fox threw his arms around her, relieved to finally hold her again. Then he frowned. Her wheelchair was far too cumbersome for this sort of situation. If they got into a firefight, she'd be a sitting duck. Thinking quickly, he slung his rifle over his shoulder, and picked the girl up. The pink hedgehog didn't protest, putting her arms around his neck to try and help support her weight better.

"How's my son?" Sir Charles asked as he pulled out a personal data pad and pressed a extremely long code into it. Tails recognized what he was doing, wiping his data feeds. He didn't want Shadow getting his hands on his research.

"Sonic's fine, he's headed for the War Room right now. We'll rendezvous shortly." Marcus said.

There was a moment of pause, where everyone just stared at the Clone soldier. Mobian soldiers exchanged looks with each other, and Tails could hear whispered conversations over his communications lines. But they were wasting time here. He ordered his squad to fall in they were getting out of here.

* * *

They got off a minute later, and began to head towards their rally point. However, it wasn't long before Tails picked up a friendly FoF signal. He paused for a moment, confused. The solider was by himself. Where was the rest of his unit? He tried to hail the soldier, but got only static in response. Perhaps the man's communicator was broken?

"Mina, check it out." He signaled her forward.

The mongoose said nothing, but moved forward and disappeared down towards where the signal was coming from. There were a few moments of silence, and then he heard the girl curse.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "Is it a trap?"

"No, but you're not going to fraking believe who it is," she grunted, and he thought he heard a yelp of pain.

When she emerged from around the corner, she was hauling another soldier. Tails recognized the rocket launcher strapped across his back, and realized this was the man who had helped them out earlier. Then he noticed something else, the HUD readout that displayed itself when he looked at him.

Carmine, P.

"What the hell were you thinking? You're not supposed to be out here!" The mongoose brought her fist down on the back of the raccoon's head. Carmine gave a grunt and whirled on her, but she glared at him, and he fell silent.

Tails' world seemed to be trying to unravel itself. What _was _he thinking? If anyone saw him… no, they had already seen him, he was sure of it. There was no way that they could not have after the stunt he pulled outside.

"You're violating direct orders from your superiors meant to keep you alive." He growled, wanting to join Mina in hitting him.

"Says the man working with Clones," Carmine gestured to the larger figures guarding the front and rear. "Wait, let me guess, these are the ones on our side?" he cocked his head.

"How did you know that?" Joshua asked, walking over to his childhood friend.

"Because of the fact that you aren't scrapping it out with each other," Carmine said, before tearing himself free of Mina's grip. "Look, Tails, chip or not, I've got a score to settle with the Neos. Shadow…" he fell silent again. "You don't know what its like to have someone running around inside of your head, pealing back your thoughts and secretes like they're pages in a stinking book! And at any rate, if I had stayed at home like a good little boy, those tanks would have shredded you."

"Alright, alright," Tails held up his hands. "Not like I can stick you in a time out corner, anyway. Just please, don't do anything stupid. You're our friend, and you're my responsibility."

Mina stuck her hand out, and placed it on his shoulder. Though Carmine's face was hidden, Tails saw a slight twitch go through his body, and he looked over to the mongoose.

"Let's move, if you don't mind," Uncle Chuck said, "we need to get everyone out of here."

* * *

Jaster tapped into his UAV as he leaned back against the palace wall. The fly sized drone was slowly moving along the wall of the corridor. A Mobian fire team was dug in behind a barricade, their rifles and SMGs ready to tear into anything that exposed itself. The Mandalore contemplated the best choice of action. Grenade? Buster rocket? What should he use?

He reached a decision, stuck his arm around the corner, and fired. The small fuel-air rocket streaked towards its intended targets. Jaster watched them scream for a split second, before the rocket exploded and drowned them out. The thermobaric payload sent a blinding flash down the corridor, and even through his armor, Jaster could feel the heat rise. There were only a few more Mobians in-between him and final victory now. The sooner he got it finished the better. The thought of the Clones fighting each other in the industrial zones was leaving a very bad taste in his mouth.

Jaster had the drone look around the room again, to ensure that there was nothing left alive. Once he confirmed that, he motioned for his soldiers to follow. The other Death Watchmen with him, Xarga, Daveriel, and Brianna, wouldn't be far behind, and then hey could move on.

Peeling himself out from around the corner, Jaster moved into the corridor, his weapons drawn and set to a moderately high power level. At the same time, he drew up a map of the Palace. He was only a few hundred meters from the War Room, and he marked the location with a way point. A red marked appeared on his helmet readout, telling him the distance and direction of his target. Just a few more defensive barriers and he would be there.

* * *

Sally watched as line after line fell, soldiers succumbing to the superior firepower and training of their genetically engineered foes. She tried to keep herself level, but it was getting hard. She couldn't help but remember Shadow's hands on her, the feeling of revulsion as he'd cupped her cheek, his lips against her own.

"Stop it!" she quietly hissed to herself. This was not a time for her to worry about herself. She should instead be worried about the soldiers who were in those corridors and hallways, fighting and dying in defense of their world.

She wished that she could help coordinate things, but Geoffrey wasn't letting her anywhere near them. The skunk was quite nervous about this situation, and for once, Sally didn't blame him. She had a hard time feeling sorry for him though. If Antoine was here, they might have had a chance. The princes looked down to her rifle, and adjusted the power level. Shadow wasn't going to take her without a fight.

"Sensors detecting enemy advancement. Distance from command center, less than one hundred meters." The technician manning one of the consoles announced. Sally could hear the rising panic in his voice, and the sweat that matted his fur. "Automated defenses aren't holding them off."

"Coordinate more soldiers to beat them back then!" Geoffrey slammed a fist into the wall in frustration. Clearly the skunk was starting to crack. Sally caught a glimpse of his eyes. They were feverish, delusional almost.

"Soldiers are dropping like flies, we don't have enough," the technician responded, shaking his head. He activated a few more wall mounted turrets, but the Neo Crusaders seemed to know that they were there even before they popped out.

An arm popped around the corner and fired a salvo of buster rockets. The turrets retaliated, but only managed a quick burst before they were destroyed by the projectiles. The visual feed remained intact though. Long enough for Sally to see who led the assault. She gasped as she saw the silver and blue armor, the trademark mythosaur skull on the visored helmet… and the two curved blades that were on the sides of his hips. Jaster was there, pistols ready. He stared at the camera for a moment, as if to say 'I'm coming for you,' then he shot it out.

"Feirfek!" St. John shouted again. He looked nearly out of his mind with a combination of rage and fear.

"Oh Goddess, they're right outside the hallway," Elias said as they heard the heavy repeaters open up. Sally saw a flash on the camera from outside.

Flash-bangs, the soldiers were fighting blind, their massive weapons tearing huge holes in the fare end of the hallway, melting and vaporizing metal and stone. A Neo Crusader repeater was stuck around the corner, and as with the automated turrets before, the soldiers protecting the war room soon fell.

"Everyone get down!" she ordered, knocking over a supply table and taking cover behind it. Bunnie was there behind her, leveling her M-K and preparing for a last stand.

She could die, the ground squirrel thought to herself. Shadow didn't need her. He might see her as a risk, a threat… The door exploded outwards, debris raining in. Sally fired into the hallway, her helmet letting her see through the smoke. The first Clone held an SMG and a shield, blocking her plasma bolts while returning fire. Bunnie faired better, her massive weapon slagging a good portion of the shield with a two shot tap. The Clone fired back, and the princess recognized the blue tinted bolts. They were trying to stun everyone and sort it out once things had died down.

She heard one of the technicians shout a warning to the soldiers that were still left that the War Room had been compromised and that they were to try and escape the city in any way that they could. He got no further, stunned as more Clones poured through the door, dropping flash bangs everywhere. The two girls kept firing though. Sally was able to peg a rifleman in the side, turning his armor white hot with a three round burst. The Clone's retaliatory fire forced her back down. She cured under her breath and cranked her rifle up to full power. Before sticking it up above the table and firing. She heard a thump as a body hit the floor and knew that she had gotten one of them. A flash bang landed right behind her, and though she was protected against the blinding light that it gave off, the blast and the roar made her dizzy and lightheaded. She tried to fight through the wave of nausea that assaulted her, but she knew it was a losing battle. Desperately, she fired off more rounds.

Next to her, Bunnie gave a cry as she felt. Sally resisted the urge to check on her, there was nothing she could do. Her vision was swimming from the grenade, and she found herself unable to focus. When a matte black pistol poked around the table, there was nothing she could do to stop it. Two bolts slammed into her plated combat suit, knocking her backwards and causing her to groan. She tried to listen for the sound of blaster or bolter fire, but none came. With a horrid realization, it dawned on her that the fire fight was over. The Crusaders had taken the War Room.

"Give me a hand with her," she heard, and felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her.

Her helmet was removed and she found herself staring at Jaster's combat helmet. She refused to be intimidated by that armor he wore, and glare defiantly at him, trying to get her body to respond.

"It'll pass in a moment," he said, before holding up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

She tried to hit him, only to find the most she could manage was a roll of her shoulder.

"Guess you're alright," the timber wolf said.

More figures entered the room, and Sally recognized a trio of Death Watchmen. Their external speakers crackled and she heard Brianna's voice.

"Control room secure, my Lord, you're free to move in," she said, looking around the room. "You made quite a mess, love, are you getting sloppy?"

Sally recognized the battle humor that she and the others had so often shared among her friends. It was an attempt to lighten the situation and forget about all the destruction.

"Our VIP here put up quite a fight," the Mandalore gestured with his thumb. "She hasn't lost her touch."

Off to the side, Geoffrey St. John groaned as some Clones picked him up and dragged him over to Jaster. They dumped him unceremoniously at the Mandalorian's feet. Jaster placed his hands at his sides and stared down at the skunk.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" he asked. "Geoffrey St. John, I do not believe that we have had the pleasure of being introduced to one another. I must say I have been looking forward to this. I've got a bit of a bone to pick with you."

"Please…" he begged, his eyes going wide.

"Now, now, plenty of time for begging later," the Mandalore shook his finger at the Colonel, as if he were berating a child. "Right now we have to discuss your little stunt that you pulled after my troops took Station Square," he knelled down and looked the skunk eye to eye. "Antoine D'Coolette fought bravely to repel our forces, and did a damn sight better than I thought he'd be able to, considering the level of training that his forces had. And how did you repay him? Did you thank him for doing the best he could? No, you cooked up charges of cowardice and dereliction of duty." Geoffrey's mouth opened, but the Mandalore cut him off. "Oh yes, Colonel, I watched the trial. We had our ways of getting information in and out to ourselves. You betrayed him, after he put his life on the line for you. We had him at our mercy at one point, could have killed him at our leisure, but we felt he'd earned the right to live. You however, seemed to feel fit to try to throw him in the darkest hellhole this world ahs and throw away the key for your own political gains. That's an act of treason if ever I heard one."

"Among the Mandalorians, treason is seen as a very harsh crime," Brianna spoke up, walking over with a couple more Clone soldiers. "And harsh crimes deserve harsh punishments."

"Please… please don't…" Geoffrey managed to work the words out of his throat, his chest beginning to heave up and down, and Sally could him start to spasm in panic over his predicament. "Oh Goddess, please don't kill me," he begged.

"I wouldn't waste the ammo from my guns or sully my blades with your blood. I'd have to melt them down afterwards to rid them of the corruption," Jaster spat. His voice was pure venom.

For a fleeting second, Sally saw a glimpse of faint hope start to emerge on St. John's face.

"Sergeant!" Jaster extended his hand to the Clone on his left.

Before the Mandalore had even finished barking his order, the Clone had yanked his sidearm out of his holster and extended it, grip first, towards his commander. Before anyone could react, Jaster grabbed it, pointed it right at Geoffrey's chest, and pulled the trigger. The purple bolt tore into his armored uniform in a microsecond, and the skunk never had time to scream before his lungs, heart, and most of his ribcage were cremated. Jaster didn't stop. A second shot followed, and a third. In the space of two seconds, he emptied more than eight rounds into St. John's corpse. When he was finished, Sally could see nothing left above the skunk's waist, only an ash filled crater nearly as large as the table she was on.

Jaster's shoulders heaved, he was panting behind his helmet.

"But I never said anything about using someone else's… By the Goddess, that felt good," he muttered, "but it was a better death than he deserved." He turned and handed the weapon back to the Clone, who checked the power supply, and apparently satisfied that he had enough left, put it back into the holster without reloading.

Sally kept moving her eyes back and forth between the Mandalore and what was left of Geoffrey's corpse. She had hated the man, the way he kept hounding after her, what he'd done to Antoine and Bunnie, the way that he'd treated everyone around her and manipulated her brother, but to see him cold bloodedly executed like that…

"Get everyone else on their feet," Jaster said. "Shadow's going to be here any second."

The Clones complied with their orders, moving around the room, pulling people up off the ground, checking them for injuries. Aside from the occasional scratch or bruise, no one really seemed to be hurt. How long they were going to stay that way was anyone's guess.

Then he arrived. Sally felt him before she heard him or saw him. A feeling of cold darkness clutching around her heart, making her shudder. Her mouth went dry, and the memories of her time as his captive filled her mind. Then he rounded the corner and entered the hallway. Black armor glistened in the flickering lights, and she could see the myriad of weapons that he carried all over him. Slowly, purposefully, he strode towards them. Sally could feel the fear in the air as he moved closer, resembling some obsidian demon spat out from the hells.

She found herself wishing that another such demon were here at the moment.

She heard whimpering around her, some of the others were feeling the effects of the fear far more readily. Men and women trembled, her brother and father were pale beneath their fur. Sally glanced over her shoulder to Bunnie. The rabbit seemed afraid, but managed to keep it under control if only barely.

He strode through the shattered door, his visor glancing around at everyone else. He made his way towards where the princess was standing.

"Well, my dear, we meet again," he said with a slight flourish. His voice was cold, though, harsh. "I told you that I would come for you." He circled around her, and suddenly Sally felt the clasps of her helmet pop off and it be telekinetically lifted from her head. She narrowed her gaze, staring at him as he paced around her.

"As beautiful as I remember," he ran a hand through her crimson hair. "And as ferocious… I can feel your hate, your disgust…" he trailed off moving around her. "To be truthful, I have often pondered my attraction to you," he hovered around the corner of her vision. "My brother is head over heels in love with you, for reasons I cannot fathom. You two were so different. Him, fast and impulsive… you always trying to keep him from getting hurt. And then there is myself." He paused moving around to the other side of her. "You captivate me in a way I cannot understand. It leads me to wonder whether if what my brother feels for you is truly love… or is it some genetic quirk, some bit of preprogrammed loyalty to the Royal Family that accidentally went too far."

She remained defiantly silent, staring back at him, channeling her hate towards him. She imagined crushing the ARC trooper in the palm of her hand, striking him down. Killing him for what he had brought on her people. A thousand torturous deaths went through her mind in an instant.

"Such cold-bloodedness…. I would have never figured you to be someone with a sociopathic streak to you, princess… Sal…"

She turned and lashed out, her hand balled up into an armored fist. He caught it effortlessly, and chuckled as she glared at him.

"Only one man calls me that," she spat in his face and watched the spittle drip down his visor. Shadow said nothing at first, but then she felt him smile.

"Oh, trying to tame you will be a most enjoyable experience," Sally noticed Jaster and the Death Watchmen fidget slightly. "But right now I feel that I need to go and wrap up some loose ends. For starters," he twisted his head to look at Elias and Maximilian, "I don't need these two to be interfering with my plans."

Elias and Max were lifted into the air, spread eagle, Sally felt the air around them seem to pulse and shiver, and her brother began to cry out in pain. Shadow was crushing them. She brought her other fist around to strike him, but he caught that blow as well. She heard a cry of rage, and Bunnie jumped forward. Effortlessly, she was slammed back by an invisible wall. Sally screamed, her brother and father were dying right in front of her eyes.

Shadow released them suddenly, her as well, while Bunnie fell to the ground. In an instant, the ARC trooper had back flipped towards the center of the room and drawn his energy blades. The wall to Sally's left exploded, stone and rock flying everywhere. Before she even had time to react, she felt something move past her, and heard the distinct hum of Kabiurr swords. Shadow went sailing through the air a moment later, hurled by an unseen force. He smashed into a control console and then the other blur was upon him.

"Stay the frak away from them!" she heard Sonic's voice, distorted even more than usual by the pure rage that flowed in it.

Bolter fire came from the hole he'd made in the wall, and Sally recognized Shysa's attack team. Kelborn was at the front, a heavy repeater in his hands.

"Everyone pull back!" Shysa could be heard above the racket.

Confused but desperate for an escape, the Mobians bolted for the hole, surprised to see even more Clone special forces teams behind the initial one.

"What took you so long?" Sally shouted as she passed by the first ranks.

"Sorry ma'am, going was slower than we anticipated," Bendark said with a shake of his head.

They rounded the corner, the other Clones falling into step behind them, furiously backpedaling. Distantly, Sally could see Sonic land three hits on his brother, only to have them stopped by the shield generator. The blue hedgehog landed a mighty kicked that blasted the other soldier all the way across the room before being forced into retreat by the Clones and Death Watchmen laying down precision fire.

Sonic flipped back out of the way of the bolts, deflecting those he could, before retreating into the corridor. His blades blurred through the air like a lightshow, and that was the last that the princess saw of him before she was ushered around the corridor.

"Would someone please explain to us what in the hell is going on?" she heard her father shout. He started to stumble, only to be caught in mid fall by Vizsla, who slung the former king over her shoulder and continued to run, her rifle held in one hand.

"These ones are on our side," his daughter said, before she turned to face Shysa. "Do you have a commlink that you can spare?"

"I think chatting with your fiancé would be a very bad idea right now, with all due respect, ma'am. He does happen to be involved in a very appalling case of sibling rivalry at the moment." The Clone responded.

"Point taken," Sally said, and then hurried along, unaware that Elias and her father had been staring at her ever since the word fiancé had been mentioned. "You got a weapon?"

Shysa handed her a pistol in mid-stride. "Should be able to handle that. The recoil's not so bad compared to our rifles."

"Thanks," the ground squirrel said. "How well does it work on Neo Crusaders?"

"We're well defended against our own weapons, but if you can land a head shot, it should knock them around long enough for one of us to get them for good." The Clone rounded another corner, and to Sally's surprise, there were others there.

Another Cuy'val Dar squadron was mixed into the ranks of a Mobian platoon. And even more surprising was the person in charge of it. His face was covered, but Sally could see the two tails that were encased in armor weave behind him. Even more telling, he carried a pink hedgehog in his arms. Uncle Chuck and Rotor were mixed in as well, unarmed and unarmored, but otherwise alright.

"You got an exit strategy, or are we just going to run around all day?" the fox asked.

"Give us a break, kid," Bendark said, placing a hand up on the side of his helmet, "we've got two pissed off Advanced Reconnaissance Commandos about a hundred meters behind us," the whole Palace suddenly shook. "I don't know about you, but I'd like to have as much distance between them and myself as I possibly can."

"Where do you get off calling him a kid, he's older than you." Amy said, staring up at him.

"Only physically!" Bendark fired back, his tone surprisingly playful considering the situation.

"Hey!" Tails was clearly indignant.

"Would both of you can it?" Sally and Shysa shouted at the same time. Princess and Clone exchanged a glance with each other for a second, and then managed a grim smile.

"Fall back points this way," she motioned to everyone else.

* * *

"Get after them!" Shadow screamed to Jaster and the other Clones.

The Mandalorians headed back out the original door that they'd entered through, not wanting to risk the chance of running into an ambush. They'd attempt a flanking maneuver. This also had the added benefit of making it to where they didn't have to try and run between a pair of physic super soldiers.

Sonic and Shadow never stopped. Kaiburr swords smashed into each other while bolter fire, flames, and rockets filled the room. Within seconds, consoles had been slagged, meter deep craters blasted into the walls, exposing metal support pillars, several of which were melted by caster fire.

Sonic rushed in, his mind multi-tasking in ways that only it could. He leveled his wrist and fired off a small missile at his brother. Shadow deflected it with a wall of telekinetic energy that he suddenly erected. A barrage of purple bolts followed, testing the wall's stability. Sonic could feel it faltering, but knew that he wouldn't have time to smash through it before Shadow could recover and throw something his way. The blue hedgehog hurled himself around the psionic barrier, before rushing up, both of his energy weapons thrusting in, while a wall of white flame surrounded his brother. Caught off guard, unable to penetrate Sonic's mental defenses and learn of his plans, the dark twin was totally flatfooted. Shadow snarled, but against both blade and flame his shields held.

Immediately, he counted with a pair of back to back crossed slashes, before firing his own shoulder weapon into the fray. This was followed by mentally grabbing his sibling and hurling the other hedgehog with all of his might.

Sonic felt himself lifted off of the ground, and knew what was coming. He tried to fight the hold that Shadow had on him, to break it, but found that he couldn't. The hydrostatic gel in his suit pressurized, sending prickling sensations through his body. Those were the only warnings he got before he was slammed through the wall of the war room. His shields absorbed the blow by they faltered as permacrete and durasteel smashed into his body. Grunting he hit the ground, only to find the process repeated. He just realized that he was in the corridor that Sally and the others had escaped down, when a black blur moved over him. Instinctively he lashed out. The invisible blow sent Shadow sprawling, and Sonic flipped up to his feet, determined not to let his brother get anywhere near his family.

"I told you to stay away from them!" his eyes narrowed in a hate filled glare as he dashed up along the wall and jumped in front of his twin.

"Very impressive, Sonic," Shadow was on his feet again instantly, throwing everything he had at his sibling. The dark hedgehog slashed his left blade across at neck height while his right one came in for a wicked thrust at Sonic's heart. "But you are now, as ever, the inferior one!"

Sonic parried both strikes, and barely managed to dodge the next attack. He ducked down underneath a small rocket that his sibling fired, sticking his leg out and trying to sweep Shadow off of his feet. The other ARC trooper jumped and twisted in midair, extending his Kaiburr swords as he spun around like a child's pinwheel. Sonic rolled out of the way, but felt several energy rounds connect. His shields held, but only barely. He had to keep some distance, keep his brother from landing another successful hit, or this fight was going to be over. His head was beginning to pound under the psychic assault that his dark twin was hitting him with, threatening to rip into his mind and wrest his next moves from him. Growling, he raised more walls inside of his mind. He thought of Sally, Saria, Tails, and the Clones and then of what Shadow would do to them if he caught up. Rage and hate filled him, and he drew power from that.

Shadow seemed to stagger for a moment or two, as if he'd just been hit with a massive sledgehammer, and Sonic seized that opportunity to take back the offensive. Roaring he came in, his caster firing and his blades blurring through the air. The energy bolts scored direct center mass hits, and first two sword strokes slammed home in the time it took him to blink, one into Shadow's side, the other one down across his shoulder. The black hedgehog's shields flared and crackled, but held. Sonic's right sword managed to land another strike squarely across Shadow's chest, while his left strike was blocked by a skilled parry. As it turned into a blade lock, though, Sonic surprised his sibling once again. Without warning, the vibro claws on his left wrist unsheathed, stabbing into the darker twin's shields. They crackled and wavered, beginning to fail, and Shadow leapt backwards to prevent his defenses from being breached.

He was far from finished though. A wall of force smashed into Sonic again. The other ARC trooper braced himself, but was still sent flying down the corridor. He landed on his feet, only to find that Shadow as already there. Purple and crimson blades met blue and white, crackling and popping together for the milliseconds that they were connected to one another. Slowly, though, Shadow began to wrest the offensive back from his twin, forcing Sonic into a retreat.

Sonic ducked beneath a swipe to his head and parried a thrust aimed at his heart, while slashing out with his right energy sword. Shadow easily twisted his original slash into a defensive move though, defeating the attack, while firing off his shoulder weapon and throwing a kick right into his brother's face. Sonic was able to dodge the kick, but the rounds connected with his defenses. He lost track of how many there were hitting him, but they caused his shields to begin warbling in less than a second. He flipped out of the way and unleashing his pyrokinetic skills once more. He brother was baptized in the flames, and the corridor became so hot that both knew any unarmored being would have been instantly incinerated by the heat. Shadow didn't even seem bothered by it, and he came out with all guns blazing. Slowly, he beat his brother back until Sonic was in the T joint that had connected the corridors.

There was an awkward moment as two dozen pairs of boots came to a halt. He had emerged just as Jaster and the others hand rounded the corner. They stood, twenty meters away from him, their weapons leveling towards him and the group taking up firing positions. They checked themselves a moment later as Shadow came blitzing in.

There was never a chance for a clear shot. Even the Mandalorians, their reflexes enhanced by training and cybernetic equipment, were unable to view the two combatants as anything more than a pair of black and gunmetal gray blurs. They spun, twisted, whirled around. Weapons fire and errant telekinetic attacks blew out light sources, plunging the corridor into complete darkness. For the split second before his night vision kicked in, Jaster saw what he could only describe as a psychedelic light show. He saw what seemed to be dozens of strikes pass by. The energy blades hummed and crackled nonstop as they hit one another repeatedly.

Then his night vision was on and he could see again. The two brothers had changed places again, and Sonic seemed to slowly be forcing his sibling back towards a turbolift. He watched with a sense of awe, helplessly sucked into what he was watching. Sonic was so driven… so focused. Jaster's life had revolved around combat for nearly thirty years. He had fought countless conflicts, skirmishes, and emerged unharmed from firefights that would have outright killed lesser soldiers. He had never seen anyone who seemed so attuned to himself. He made certain that his optical systems were recording this for later use. Regardless of the outcome of this fight, his children would be studying this video for years, generations maybe.

Sonic suddenly sent his brother flying, and Shadow crashed right into the elevator doors. The ARC trooper smashed right through the door and plummeted out of sight. Jaster scarcely dared to breathe. Had it ended, jut like that? Had Shadow just been struck down?

No, something was going on. Sonic had looked at them, but was still barely sparing them a glance. His entire attention was still focused on that shaft.

The blue hedgehog couldn't have been more surprised when his dark twin abruptly reappeared. Shadow didn't have his vibro claws sunk into anything, wasn't clutching at any bits of metal. He was floating in mid air. His swords floated next to him, their blades glowing harshly.

"Well," Sonic muttered, "that's something new."

"I've had some time to build and focus my powers, brother," the two blades turned till they were aimed straight at his heart. "A good thing too, you've been practicing."

Shadow gave no warning, and only an instinctive lunge to the side, followed by a roll and a series of lightening quick flips saved the blue hedgehog from instant death. From where Shadow was, blue fire erupted, streaking forward and out to the sides. Swears came from all parties involved, and Jaster and the others quickly threw themselves inside of rooms that lined the corridor. Sonic wasn't so fortunate. The flames came alive, wrapping themselves around him. The temperature gauge in his suit instantly reached critical levels, spiking at over twelve thousand degrees centigrade. He shield gauge dropped rapidly, and he knew he had seconds to act. He focused his attention on his brother, and on the turbolift twelve stories above. A simple gesture with his mind was enough, and the car rocketed downward.

Shadow looked up just in time to see four tons of metal come shooting down towards him at breakneck speed. He cut off his assault on Sonic, and frantically tried to stop the turbolift, letting go and allowing himself to fall to gain more time.

He stopped the car, but only just. Panting, he felt his relief turn to rage. His brother had managed to stop his assault, if only barely. Fueled by wounded pride, the dark twin ripped the lift to pieces, smashing open another door and hurling the entire contraption out into the hallway, before shooting back up the shaft. He had wasted enough time here, he needed to get after his brother.

Sonic was wheezing, staring at his armor. His shields were recharging if only just, and his armor plates were desperately trying to shed heat. Vaporized hydrostatic gel shot out into the air around him in an attempt to cool his body down. The hedgehog couldn't help but gulp. The ferocity of that pyrokinetic attack was beyond anything he'd ever seen or believed possible. His old armor suit, the one he'd used when he'd been Norrack, would have been turned to ash in an instant, him alongside it. All throughout the corridor, the walls were melted, and the floor oozed and bubbled with liquid durasteel and melted stone, vaporized metals choked the corridor with smoke, promising death to anyone who breathed them in. In some places, the entire wall, floor section, or ceiling had melted away before the fury of the firestorm. Anything that had been remotely flammable had been destroyed, and the air was still hot enough that anything unprotected would probably spontaneously combust.

"I mean no offense, boss, but next time, could you tell him to be a little more careful with the fireworks?"

"I'll try, Xarga… that was reckless." He heard Jaster's voice over his radio. "Everybody alright? Everyone okay?"

"Aside from being ticked about the fact that my armor's gonna glow like a signal flare to anyone with an IR scope for the next hour? I'm fine."

"Copy that, Daveriel. Brianna?"

"Suit's a little cooked, by I'm fine. Same with the Clones."

Sonic knew that he couldn't waste any more time with the Mandalorians. They were probably too busy making certain that everyone was okay after that attack. The ARC trooper could sense where Sally and the others were. They were almost to safety, but Shadow would be closing fast. The call buttons for the other turbo lifts had been melted and circuits fried in the firestorm, which left just one option. He peered up into the column of the open lift. Judging the angle he leapt up, kicking himself off of the walls.

* * *

Sally moved forward once Shysa gave the all clear signal. The husky had led them to the roof, and now it was time for them to get out of here. The roof of the Palace, once dominated by towering, beautiful spires and gardens, was in ruins. Remnants of automatic weapon emplacements, and a corpse or two littered the area.

"Our little UAV is reporting that the ground area on the eastern side is clear, but it won't be that way for long, so we've got to move fast." She pulled out a magnetic grapple gun, aiming it and firing it at the lower of a ruined watchtower. There was a sewer access grate near there. They'd get underground and lose any trailers in the maze underneath the city.

As the other Cuy'val Dar fell in line and did the same, Sally took a look back over her shoulder. No sign of Sonic.

"He'll be alright, she scolded to herself," then she looked over to Shysa. "Is Saria's escort still alright?"

"They reported in clear just before we picked you up. They've already gotten them on board a small APC and were heading back to base. You don't have to worry about her."

The ground squirrel nodded, and then tested the cable. Satisfied that it was secure, she wrapped her hands over one another, keeping the line in the center, and prepared to slide down.

A door at the far end of the roof burst open, and a flare of darkness emerged.

"Hostile target, priority one!" Shysa screamed.

Instantly, the Clones opened fire, several of Tails' platoon joining in. Bolts of energy streaked towards Shadow, forcing him to dash and dodge about. He was getting closer, Sally could tell.

"Get out of here!" she heard Bendark order, shoving the Mobians towards the grapple lines with one hand, while he continued to shoot with the other. Grenades and rockets joined the list of projectiles heading for Shadow. Still he drew closer, though he was forced to dance and dodge about more than before.

Suddenly he stopped in mid jump and crashed to the ground. Unsure of what had just happened, the group began to fall back, knowing they wouldn't get another chance to escape. Several bolts struck him before he managed to get back up, but he was soon evading fire again.

Sally looked back over her shoulder. Tails' platoon and her family were almost to safety. Once they were away, she could worry about herself. Shadow was less than a hundred feet away from them now, slowly advancing.

Then he staggered again, and a barrage of energy bolts hit him. She could hear his roar of fury as he retreated again, running full tilt back to where he had emerged. The princess didn't know what to make of it for a second, but then she saw another figure emerge. The energy blades that he held in his hand were a dead give away. Sally let out a sigh of relief. Short lived as it was, as the two of them battled each other again. She was concerned for Sonic, but he would be able to better hold his sibling than any of them could. Sally saw Shysa place a hand to her helmet suddenly, and knew something was up.

"Fierfek, time to move!" Shysa picked her up and the next thing Sally knew, she was airborne. "We're about to have contact from the Mandalore himself."

So Jaster was after them too. "Let's get down into the sewers. We can force them to hunt and fight on our terms," she told the Clone as they jetted down to the ground.

"Agreed."

They touched down a moment later. Most of the group was already down the hole, with the Clones covering any approach vector. Once the last of the Mobians was safely below ground, they began to follow. One by one, they backpedaled into the hole. Shysa was the last one down, and she took care to clamp the lid back down over her.

Once there, she took her flamethrower and carefully sealed the edges of the lip shut.

"Should slow them down for a bit. Now let's move!"

* * *

Shadow roared as he came charging in. Another blast of living blue fire burst in front of him, and Sonic swore aloud. Everything around him seemed to catch fire as his temperature gauges spiked again. He saw the flames lick towards him, promising death. Thinking frantically, the blue hedgehog threw everything he had into a physic assault on his brother. Every feeling, every ounce of raw emotion that he could channel, he used.

It worked. Like the first two times, Shadow staggered and stumbled backwards with one hand against his head. Sonic charged his brother, reaching out and grabbing him telekinetically. Shadow gave a surprised cry as he was launched into the air, and then forcefully slammed down. The metal of the Palace roof had been weakened by the pyrokinesis and couldn't take the force. The ARC trooper screamed in rage as he went through down to the next floor.

Sonic saw Jaster and the other Mandalorians suddenly burst out onto the roof, before heading to the side that Sally and the others had gone down. He leveled his shoulder caster and opened fire on them. The Neo Crusaders quickly returned the favor, letting down a hail of particle rounds, missile fire, and magnetically accelerated grenades. Sonic blocked what he could, used his precognition to dodge a couple of buster rockets and duck beneath a grenade. Then the Clones started wising up. Rockets impacted around him, grenades exploded less than a meter away. Heat and shrapnel assaulted his shields, draining them. Energy bolts connected as well. There were simply too many to dodge.

Then Shadow came back. Like Chaos himself, he emerged from the burning hole that he'd plummeted into. Sonic could feel the power behind his brother's gaze. The dark twin floated in midair, and twisted to the Mandalorian fire team behind him.

"Get after them, leave him to me!"

As one, the soldiers jetted off of the roof, heading after his friends. He went to follow, but Shadow stopped him. Screaming like a man possessed, the black hedgehog began to rip apart great portions of the roof. The hunks of metal floated before him and then with a gesture, Shadow sent them flying. Sonic barely leapt over the first hover car sized piece, and then time seemed to slow for him as his mind desperately analyzed what approach to take. Another bit of the castle roof came in at him. He hit the ground and rolled forward, feeling the vibrations as the metal slammed into the roof scant inches behind him. He then leaped up and back flipped as the third one came in trying to squash him between itself and the other piece. He only just made it.

Then the forth and final one came in from the side. Sonic wasn't able to avoid this one, nor could he raise a barrier to defend himself. For the first time in his life, the blue hedgehog thought that he might understand how a fly felt. His shields held against the attack, but the momentum transfer would have pulverized his bones had they not been reinforced.

He smacked into the roof top and skidded all the way to the far end, his battered form crashing into one of the rising towers with enough force to leave an impression of his body in it. Groaning, he felt himself swoon. But he fought of the blackness, getting back to his feet and unloading everything he could at Shadow. Caster bolts, flames, and his last missile streaked towards the black armored ARC trooper.

His sibling ducked and weaved through the air, working his blades back and forth as he shot towards him. They met a moment later, their Kaiburr swords hissing and popping again.

Sonic ducked underneath a pair of horizontal slashes. He went into a crouch, and then struck. His right blade he jammed up into his brother's gut, while his left one slashed across the kneecaps. Sonic finished the combo by rising up and planting both feet into Shadow's chest. The black hedgehog went down and as Sonic rose up, he flipped over, landing a pair of slashes on his brother's shoulders. But the other ARC wasn't down for long. In an instant, he was back up on his feet and he came in with a vengeance. Sonic felt a thrust aimed for his head brush him as he dodged to the side, and he only just managed to deflect a slash from the other weapon.

Shadow unleashed a barrage of bolter rounds from his shoulder mounted weapon. Sonic grunted as he felt them hit, draining his shields faster than before. Shadow had cranked up the power, but maybe he could use that against his twin. As the next burst came in he leapt backwards, working his energy swords furiously. Shadow's eyes widened in surprise as his own rounds came back at him, joined by a salvo from Sonic's caster. He flew up into the air but wasn't able to dodge them all. The purple pulses impacted on him, spinning him around in mid flight. The next thing he was aware of was Sonic leaping up, spinning around, and planting both his feet and his blades into him.

Shadow hit the roof hard, gasping in sudden pain, before he managed to throw Sonic off of him. The blue hedgehog landed on his feet and rushed back in. But this time his twin was ready for him. Shadow blocked and dodged every slash, thrust, chop, kick, and burst of energy fire.

"I underestimated you once, brother, don't expect me to do it again," he locked their blades up, staring into his sibling's helmet, their visors close enough to practically touch as they wrestled for control. "Remember, we were programmed to learn from our mistakes."

"Funny, that," Sonic grunted, "You never seemed to have learned to stay away from Sal and my kid!"

Sonic brought his knee up into Shadow's gut. His brother growled and retaliated with a headbutt that drove the two apart. The two ARC troopers slowly circled one another. Their casters were trained on their opponent, their energy swords at the ready, and both tried to peer into the mind of the other.

Then the brief stall was over. Sonic took the initiative, coming in high and low, while trying to trap his brother in a telekinetic cage that would leave him vulnerable. Shadow shattered the prison in an instant though, and quickly parried both strikes. Sonic followed with a series of feints to try and throw him off guard, but again, Shadow didn't take the bait. His brother knew him well, apparently. Snarling, Sonic sent a burst of fire at him, but the black hedgehog was able to raise a barrier around himself, before countering with a psionic attack that drove Sonic to his knees. Instinctively he placed one Kaiburr sword above his head while swiping the other out in front of him. He felt one strike get stopped by his sword, while the other cut deep across his chest.

It was the start of a murderous rain of blows as Shadow finally pulled out all the stops. The black armored ARC was every where at once. Above, behind, at the sides, in front of him. Sonic could see his shields draining rapidly, and knew that he had to fight back. He spotted his brother moving in from the right and lunged at him. He went for broke, landing four blows in less than a second, while taking one in return. Shadow appeared to be caught off guard by the ferocity of the counter attack, and was forced on the defensive. Sonic managed to score another hit, bringing his blue energy sword down on his brother's right wrist. Shadow grunted and a hole opened up that he was quick to exploit. Again, the blue hedgehog brought everything he could muster to bear. A burst of fire from his caster, a cone of white hot fire and three more slashes. He knew that he had almost depleted his foe's shields.

Shadow attempted a parry, but a quick flick of Sonic's hand sent both of their blades flying away. He let it go, focusing on landing that one last strike. If he could catch Shadow underneath the arm…

Shadow leaped backwards and extended his hand. For a third time, the blue hot fire erupted. It was just a brief puff, but Sonic leapt through it, trusting in his shields to hold. They faded completely, but his armor could take the rest of the heat. It was all or nothing now. He gripped his remaining blade in both hands and came up in a ferocious upper cut.

Only to find that he'd hit air.

On instinct, he threw himself forward. He felt the full force of a pair of virbo claws rake him across the back. Pain exploded through him, agony that he hadn't experienced since the accident that had turned him into the cybernetic soldier that he was. He could feel the heat of Shadow's other weapon, and knew that his brother was closing in for the kill. Though it hurt like hell, he was able to turn, block the strike, and bring his left fist down on Shadow's right knee.

The force of the blow, psychically enhanced by Sonic's rage and the mechanical nature of his arm, destroyed what was left of Shadow's shield, moved through the armor, and to both of their amazements, broke his femur. Shadow screamed as fragments of metal and bone spread out into his flesh, and fell down instantly as his leg collapsed under the weight of his body and armor.

Sonic whipped his blade around while summoning his other one, aiming both of them for Shadow's throat, but he suddenly found himself airborne. Shadow had grabbed him and hurled him away. Sonic grunted as he hit the ground and skidded, noting the trail of blood that he was leaving behind himself. His wound was deep. Still, he got back up, ready to charge forward and finish the job.

But it was not to be. More Neo Crusaders, backed up by two more Death Watchmen. Instantly, they opened fire with everything they had. With his shields still trying to recharge, his wound sending fires burning up his nerves, and even more of the soldiers doubtless on their way, Sonic made one of the hardest decisions of his life.

He retreated, running for the edge of the Palace before leaping over the edge. He extended his claws and tried to slow himself down, but he knew he couldn't do it forever. The Clones would be on him in moments. He withdrew his talons and entered free fall again. The ground, more than five hundred feet below, rushed up to meet him. Already, his gel suit was pressurizing, preparing to act like an airbag, but Sonic had no plans for that. A hundred feet from the ground, just as the Clones were sending energy bolts back down at him, he stuck his claws into the side of the wall again.

Three bolts hit his shields. Thankfully, they were almost back up to half strength, and took the shots easily. Two more hit him before he could get to the ground, and from there, he did a dead run to the sewer grate, which he noticed had been blown upon by the other Neo Crusaders. He needed to hurry, he had no idea what was going on with Sally and the others.

* * *

"Vector fire, southwest!" Shysa shouted, sticking her rifle around the corner and firing off three shots.

Sally grumbled and sat back against the alcove. The Cuy'val Dar that had been escorting them were engaged in a intense gun battle with Jaster and his Clone forces. High powered bolter rounds slagged stone and melted metal with every burst that was fired. Everyone was sporting battle damage, but so far, only one of the special forces soldiers had been hurt. Sally suspected it was because of her. Jaster and the others were holding back, trying to make certain that she didn't get injured.

Still, she wanted to do more. Others were risking their lives for her, and she couldn't do a thing to help them. For one of the few in her life, the princess felt completely helpless. She shuddered, she hadn't felt this way… not since Robotnik had managed to capture her that one time. She could feel it happening again. The walls of the tube coming down around her. Julian's sneering face, Snively at the control panel.

She shook her head, and reached over next to her. The soldier, Joshua, she remembered, gave a word of protest as she ripped the Lancer rifle out of his hands. She heard Shysa growl in pain as a bolt slammed into her arm. She moved back around, her left pauldron glowing as it tried to shed the heat of the bolter round. Down on her knees, Sally scooted up to the edge and peaked around. She saw Jaster there in the front, directing his troops while simultaneously working his heavy pistols with expert precision. She could feel his eyes settle on her, and she glared at him. Her weapon raised, she pulled the trigger. He ducked back even fore the rounds had left the barrel of the rifle.

"Suppressive fire!" she shouted.

A fusillade of friendly energy rounds tore past her as the Clones swung into action at her command. The sewer was becoming so choked with smoke and vaporized materials that she could hardly see anymore. Purple rounds tore through the area though, and she felt shrapnel bounce off the plates of her armor.

"With all due respect, ma'am, you're not suited for this kind of work at the moment," Bendark said as he sent a grenade round into the midst of the enemy. With his multiple viewing modes, he could see into the walls of the sewer, and he watched as they scattered, some using their jetpacks to fly back the way the came. The thermal went off, and a blinding flash of heat filled the sewer. Everyone took cover as steam billowed through the tunnels. The Clones threw their VIPs down and covered their exposed bodies with their armor.

"Well, so much for thermal," Sally heard Tails mutter.

Fifteen meters away, Jaster growled as he felt the steam brush over him. It was a minor annoyance, but it irritated him nonetheless.

"Xarga, I need you to start moving forward with your squad. Brianna, Daveriel, how's the rear looking?" He asked, sticking his smart linked pistols out and firing a few shots at whatever he could.

"Looking clear for the…" Daveriel began, then he heard the snow leopard curse. "Contact!"

Bursts of bolter fire came from where the rear guard was. Thinking quickly, Jaster opened up a visual link to where they were. What he saw chilled him to the core. Sonic was there. The ARC trooper hadn't bothered to cloak, but his blades were out, deflecting and blocking rounds as they came in.

"Hostile target, six o'clock, redirect fields of fire!" the Mandalore shouted. Maybe if they were quick enough…

But the cyborg was already upon them. The first two clones went down in seconds. He closed the distance between them, faster than the soldiers could draw their Zhabokas. Their blaster fire was dead on, but Sonic already knew it was coming, and the bolts simply rebounded into them. Their armor held against that, but couldn't stand up to the fury of his energy blades. The first one took a deep slash across the chest that Jaster prayed was quick, while the second was decapitated.

Daveriel fired two rockets at him, but before they could connect, the ARC trooper made them swerved around him. They kept streaking down the sewer until they exploded at the far end. Two grenades, a thermal and an ion, met a similar fate, thrown a harmless distance away from him. By then, Sonic closed to the next two soldiers. One fell to his blades, the other one's vitals flat lined as a loud snap echoed through the tunnels.

Xarga threw a burst of fire back towards where the princess and the others were, and then darted out. Jaster shouted for him to wait, but then he realized that no amount of ordering would halt the Watchman.

Sonic came closer still, his energy blades weaving a web of death. The only one left in his way was Daveriel and Brianna. Daveriel fired off a burst at his opponent's feet, before slinging his rifle up over his shoulder and drawing his melee weapon. Sonic vaulted over the pit made by the shots, and then he was in striking distance.

The youngest member of their group displayed his skill then. Xarga's sibling had trained all his life for moments like this and it showed. Sonic had the edge of strength, speed, endurance, and the power of his mind, but the Mandalorian still managed to block the first blow. Then the second one came in, and again it was deflected. He leaped back in a summersault to evade the third strike, and as he landed, even managed to lash out and score a hit. Sonic's shields crackled as the vibro blade slashed into them.

Then time slowed to a crawl. He saw the young leopard go for the follow up strike. But then Sonic wasn't there anymore. The cybernetic hedgehog twisted out of the way, spinning around. Daveriel never even had time to cry out before one of the ARC's energy blades slid in under his arm and penetrated his armor. It went all the way through, a clean strike.

A thousand thoughts and memories bombarded the Mandalore's brain as he watched the leopard's grip on his weapon weaken. Slowly, Daveriel toppled backwards. He hit the stone, his form bouncing once and then laying still. A warbling filled Jaster's helmet as he saw his heart rate, breathing, and other vitals went dead.

Flashes of memories, like dreams flooded his consciousness. His chest burned, and he could feel partially dried blood oozing out of the cracks in his broken body. He was back a Malachor, a small child left for dead. He remembered the others finding him, nursing him back to health. Daveriel had been just two years old then, a mere infant. He and the others had raised the young kit, taught him how to be a soldier, how to survive in a world that would come to hate him. Memories of birthdays, pranks, jokes, backslaps for jobs well done, all of them speared and disappeared, years passing in seconds.

A feral scream brought him back to reality. Xarga charged forward, firing precision bolts at the ARC trooper. Nothing came of it though, Sonic merely deflected them, before spinning once more.

Horror filled Jaster's heart. Brianna was right in front of him. She was going to die just like Daveriel… he was going to watch her get cut down. A memory of his father falling, half of his head blown off by Sergeant Tinnian came to him. His wife prepared to meet Sonic, but in a split second, the cyborg had cut her Zhaboka in half. The next one would finish the job. Then one of the blades deactivated and flew into the air. Before Brianna could react, Sonic had grabbed her, spun her around, and placed his left arm across her neck. His vibro claws stretched across her, mere millimeters away from slitting her throat. Everyone froze, no one dared to move.

Sally was still confused as to what was going on. Shysa and the other Clones seemed to have stiffened up in shock, but the steam still blocked her from being able to see what was going on. Then she heard a voice.

"Don't even think about it, Jaster," she recognized Sonic. "I already skewered one of your buddies… don't think I won't do it to her."

The steam finally began to clear enough for her to see what was going on. Sonic stood behind the main group of Clones. A few bodies were behind him, including one clad in black and red armor.

"Daveriel!" she heard a broken voice scream, followed by broken sobbing.

"Stay where you are." Sonic's voice was cold as ice. An involuntary shiver went up Sally's spine once more. He sounded just like Norrack.

In front of him, with his vibro claws to her neck, was another watchman. Sally could tell it was Brianna. The slightest twitch of Sonic's wrist would slash her throat.

"You seem to have the advantage," Jaster said, slowly lowering his pistols. "What do you want?"

"I should think it obvious. Let us go, and no one else dies." Sonic replied. Sally could see him twitch a bit, though he made care to see to it that his left arm remained steady. A pulsing agony filled her mind all of a sudden. It was coming from Sonic.

Flashes filled her head as she stared at him. She saw him standing over Tails again, over Bunnie, over Antoine, Derrick, and a dozen other people that she didn't know. She saw his mental image looking down at blood stained hands.

Then it was gone, his mind was blank to her, she could feel nothing.

"How do I know you'll keep your word, Sonic?" Jaster asked.

Sally heard a gasp, and looked back. Her father had gone pale beneath his fur. He looked over to her, and she just nodded. Then she turned back to the confrontation.

"You know who I am, that should be guarantee enough. Besides that, two other things. One: enlightened self interest, I'd rather not kill all of you if I can help it. Shadow doesn't dare try anything extreme with the Clone Troopers because of you. He knows they're loyal to you, fanatically loyal. As long as you're around, he won't risk them possibly breaking free of the neural chip if he orders them to do something against their code. Which means I don't have to worry about a massacre if the populace decides to protest his little stunt." His eyes, hidden though they were, seemed to be boring into Jaster as he spoke. "And second, I don't want to have to explain to Derrick that I killed his daughter."

"Would you have stopped otherwise?" The Mandalore asked.

"Would you?" Sonic asked in return.

There was a tense moment that hung in the hot air. Finally, Jaster sighed.

"Stand down." He ordered quietly.

The Clones slowly lowered their weapons, and one by one, began to file past where he was standing. Sonic nodded and released Brianna from his grip. The other Death Watchman, Sally figured that it must have been Xarga, rushed forward, sliding to his knees as he approached the body of his brother. He gave a choked cry, and slowly picked him up, cradling Daveriel's corpse against his chest. Quiet sobs came from the snow leopard and he rocked back and forth.

Brianna and Jaster moved over next to him, each wrapping an arm around their comrade and helping him to his feet. The Clones formed a protective circle around them, their weapons pointed to the ground. The princess could tell, though, that they were ready to come up in an instant if it looked like Sonic would go back on his word.

Slowly, they retreated back down the sewer, before eventually turning out of sight.

"Thank the Goddess that's over with," Sonic said. He slumped against the wall, panting heavily. Then he staggered over to them, barely managing to summon the energy to leap across an open stretch of water jumped over next to them. "That brought back bad memories…"

It was only as he passed her that she saw it. She gasped before she could stop herself.

"Was hoping you would take a look at that. My self diagnostic system seems to be damaged. I've got my onboard meds going to it, but it doesn't seem to be helping much."

"I can… I can see a bit of your spine," Sally looked at the wound with morbid fascination. How was he able to move with that kind of damage? He should have been on the ground, paralyzed with pain.

"It's about a foot across with both slashes, Boss," Shysa said as she drew closer. "Miracle you haven't bled out yet, Shadow fraking near cut you in half."

"Got any med kits left?" he asked.

"I'm afraid we gave them to the Mobian soldiers, Sir, we didn't think…" The husky scratched the back of her helmet. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I've still got one way to deal with it," He grunted and flipped a Kaiburr sword hilt in his hand, before extending it towards Sally.

Her azure eyes opened wide, and she shook her head. "Sonic, you can't be serious. If I mess up…"

"I trust you, Sal," he was looking at her. She could see his white eyes behind the helmet he wore.

Trust. The same trust he'd shown her when she'd asked to know of his life after the accident. The same trust that he'd shown her when she'd been his leader at Knothole. The same trust he'd shown when he'd given her his heart. Nodding, she took the blade from his hand, and activated it. It hummed, and for a moment, she was back on the cliff, ten years ago, ready to cut her own arm off to save her life.

She carefully knelt down and looked at his wounds. Blood, some of it dried black, some of it a fresh crimson, dripped down his armor. She decided to go to work on the upper one. Carefully, she moved the blue blade near the exposed flesh. There was a faint pop, and she could tell that Sonic had deactivated his shield. She gently, ever so cautiously, moved the beam of energy up to the wound, and began to drag the tip across. The smell of burnt flesh and fur soon filled the air, but sonic remained still, never moving, never twitching.

It took her nearly thirty second of agonizingly moving the weapon to complete the cauterization.

"Talk about pain tolerance," she heard a soldier say.

"It doesn't actually hurt," Sonic remained perfectly still as Sally went to work on the other wound. "The blade's too hot. It fries the nerves too quickly for them to send the pain signals to my brain. I just feel... numb."

Nobody said anything.

The second wound went a little faster. Though it looked absolutely gruesome, Sally breathed a sigh of relief and turned the blade off. She handed it back to Sonic, who put a hand on her shoulder.

"Told you that you could do it," she could tell there was a smile on his face. "Let's get out of here, though."

Sally nodded, and they were soon off.

* * *

It was some hours later when they finally arrived at Stonehenge. The underground base was filled to bursting, nearly one hundred thousand people had been brought here by the Clones. Sonic was in one of the medical bays, a droid seeing to his injuries. The bacta tanks were too full with people that had more severe wounds. Around him was the old gang, along with King Elias and Maximillian. It had been relatively quiet up to this point, with only Saria being the one to speak much. Everyone else just seemed to be trying to adjust to what they had been told.

The medical droid chirped as it finished, and floated off to other patients. Sonic rose from his seat, his mechanical parts making a faint whirring noise. He strode over to where his armor lay, and began to put it back on. Sally noticed his haste when it came to covering the massive scars on his chest, and made no move to stop him until he grabbed the helmet. She placed an hand around his arm and shook her head. The hedgehog remained silent, but she could feel his mind brush against her. He was depending on her for support in this. It hadn't easy for him to suddenly reveal the last ten years of his life, and she could tell that he was worried about how everyone else would react.

"So what do we do now?" Bunnie asked.

"We wait, sit back and analyze the information we've got." Sally said. She looked around at everyone. It was just as it had been before, in Knothole. "Shadow has a massive advantage over us right now, but this time, rushing in headlong won't help us. We don't have a way to counter those ships of his. Plus, we have troops that we need to train. We can't rely on the Clones to do everything for us."

"When do we start that?" Antoine leaned against the back of the wall, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Just as soon as everyone's settled in," Sonic said as he took his helmet and tucked it under his arm.

One by one, they nodded and left, until it was just Sonic, Sally, Saria, and Max left. The former king looked around nervously, before sighing and approaching the hedgehog.

"Sonic… I'm not really sure how to say this… but I'm sorry. Sorry for the way I treated you in Knothole, sorry about never telling you about your origins… sorry for everything." He hung his head.

Sonic's face became impassive, neutral and unreadable. His ethereal eyes blinked once, twice, three times. Finally, after a minute of silence, he opened his mouth to speak.

"You were wrong to treat me like you did. Wrong to hide the truth of where I came from, what I was, from me. I had a right to know." He looked down at his hand, and then he let his gaze go down to his daughter. His next words were much more quiet, and there was a touch of bitterness to them. "But nobody's perfect. I've done things I'm not proud of either."

"You can't change the past," Max said, finally looking back up at the ARC trooper. "But you can try to make the future better." He extended his hands. "If you can bring yourself to forgive a foolish old man, could we start over again?"

Sonic's response was to take Max's hand and give it a firm shake. His face broke into a smile. "Life's too short to hold grudges."

Sally leaned up against him, and Saria hugged his leg. She was proud of him, but there was one thing still on her mind. "Say, do you suppose that there's a priest out there with everyone we brought in?"

"Out of a hundred thousand people? There has to be, according to the law of averages." Sonic shrugged.

"You know what the law of averages is?" Sally cocked and eyebrow at him.

"Moi? Of course, I'm not completely brain dead," he placed a hand against his chest in mock offense.

This got a laugh from everyone, and as he reached down to pick up Saria, she threw her arms around his neck. "Does this mean we're going to be a family, officially?"

The hedgehog just gave his daughter and affection rub through her spiky red hair and hugged her close.

Then the three of them turned, and headed for the door. As it opened, people looked up and gasped as they saw his face without his helmet. Sonic saw a mix of emotions. Shock, fear, disgust, pity, even an occasional look of disbelief that became a smile or a cheer. For once, though, he wasn't bothered by it. Sally was with him, his daughter as well, and all of his old friends. For better or for worse, they were all together again.

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Well, hope that was good, and that the fight was 'dramatic' enough.

Not really sure what to say aside from that, except for thank you for reading this far, and that all manners of feedback are welcomed. Ideas, comments, critiques, flames, etc.

Well, got to get back to studying, so until next time, have a great week, and stay safe.


	30. Epilogue: Birth of Hope

Sorry for the delay, folks, but I've been a little busy lately, making preparations for school, and working on another story that's been on the backburner for a while. Still, while this epilogue is a little on the short side, I hope you find it enjoyable.

To everyone who has read this story thus far, you have my deepest gratitude, and I only hope that the closing of this story is as good as you have come to expect. I regret being unable to respond to reviews, but once again, hotmail ate them. If you have any questions, please, let me know, and I will answer them as best I can.

Lawyer: you guys no the drill. So the next time one of you sends me a lawsuit notice, I will simply laugh at you.

That said, here's the last little chapter to Shadows of Fate.

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Epilogue: Birth of Hope

Sally groaned and slowly opened her eyes. The fist thing that she noticed was that the space next to her was empty, though still warm. She sat up in bed, looking around the room. Sonic's armor was gone. He was out and about already. A faint smile came to her face. Back at Knothole, he had never been much of an early riser. In the darkness, she stared down at her right hand. Her ring, dull and battered, was there. It held new meaning to her now. It was a promise fulfilled. Her mind drifted to the previous day, when she and Sonic had finally been able to be joined together.

The ceremony was simple. An exchange of vows, friends serving as witnesses. A gentle kiss, and a night simply spent holding each other. It had felt so good to be in his arms after so long. To feel his heartbeat, his breathing. His hand as it had run through her hair, while she had stroked his quills, marveling at their softness. It was strange that they could slice through metal so easily.

The princess rose from her bed and stretched. The room wasn't very large, scarcely big enough for a bed, a desk, and a small closet. She got dressed, grabbed Nicole, and headed out. The hour was early, and aside from the Clone watch rotation, not many people were out. The few that were just seemed to be trying to come to grips with what had happened. They would accept it, though. They would have to. It was the only way they would be able to win. The Clones snapped to attention around her, and she returned it.

After a few minutes of seeing what she could of her people, she flipped open Nicole.

"Yes, Sally?" the little A.I. asked.

"Nicole, locate Sonic please."

Within moments, she had accessed the security systems, scanned through the various cameras, and found him. He was in a holodeck, but from the security camera footage, he wasn't conducting a battle drill. Instead, he was there with a group of children. His helmet was off, and to her amazement, he was laughing. The boys and girls giggled as they ran with him, kicking a soccer ball back and forth between themselves.

One tram ride and a three minute walk later, she caught up to him. The doors to the holodeck opened before her, just in time to watch one of the children kick the ball into the goal. His team mates gave a cheer, and rushed around him. The hedgehog simply smiled and clapped his hands.

One of the other team sighed and lowered his head, his hands shoved into his pockets. Sonic walked over to him, kneeled down and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, cheer up," he gave him a slight shake. "So they managed to score, big deal. Just watch and learn from it."

A smile came to the boy's face, and he nodded his head. "Okay."

"That's the spirit." He took the soccer ball and headed back to the center of the field.

Before the game could get started again, though, Sally heard the door open again. Several adults were standing there, and they did not look happy.

Calls of "Jason, get over here!" or "Susan, what do you think you're doing?" came seconds later. The children's parents stormed forward, and within moments, had rounded them up and hauled them away. Sally didn't miss the looks of hatred and disgust that were thrown towards her husband. Those glares turned to her as they left, accusing her, as if it was her fault that Sonic and Norrack were precisely the same individual. She didn't give the satisfaction of seeing that they had ruffled her feathers.

She looked over to Sonic. A handful of the kids were still around him, scratching their heads in confusion. His eyes fell on her, and he looked down towards the floor, suddenly ashamed. The princess shook her head and walked over to him.

"Don't let them get to you," she pulled him into a hug, "they'll see the real you again soon enough."

"It would appear as though deeds of infamy are remembered for far longer than those of fame." His voice sounded far away. "Shadow once warned me that this would happen."

"We don't see you as a monster, and the others… they just need time to accept what they've learned." She looked up into his eyes, catching and holding them with her own. "Besides, we'll always be here for you."

A slight smile tugged at his mouth, and he looked back over to the children. There weren't enough of them to continue playing the game, but he would think of something to keep their minds from what had just happened to them. Ironically, a source would present itself a few minutes later, when Derrick walked in, a group of nearly a hundred Clones behind him.

"The holodeck in use?" he asked.

"Not at the moment, we don't have enough to play anymore." Sonic shrugged, then he looked at the number of genetically identical soldiers behind the Death Watchman. They were still in their battle armor, and he realized what they wanted to do. "I see. Computer, run program alpha nine eight."

There was a beep of acknowledgement, and the grassy field faded, replaced instead by a sports stadium. Sonic looked over his shoulder. His wife appeared to be confused by the whole change. Especially by the two strange posts set up at either rend of the new field.

"What is this?" she asked.

"Sports arena, for an age old Mandalorian game." Derrick responded. "Alright, you've already been divided into teams, split and let's get ready."

The princess just cocked an eyebrow. What was going on here? She stared around at the various additions to the field. Stone seats lined the area, and metal benches were just outside of some out of bounds lines. She looked back over to Sonic, only to find that the hedgehog held a strange ball in his hands. It was brown, made from what appeared to be a tough, leathery substance, and shaped like a lemon.

* * *

It was about twenty minutes later when the rest of the gang walked in. They found the Clones of both teams huddled around each other, apparently communicating between themselves. Antoine twisted his head, not sure what to make of it, and then he looked up to see Sonic and Sally in the stands, a group of children around them. The ARC trooper noticed their arrival and beckoned to them. 

"Perfect timing, the game's in a bit of a lull at the moment. They've called a time-out."

The group of friends moved up next to them, before looking down at the scene before them in confusion.

"What the hoo-ha are they playing?" Bunnie crossed her arms and looked over to Sonic.

"And why are they still wearing their armor?" Tails asked.

"The game's called football," the hedgehog said. "As for the armor," he paused as the two circles of Clones on the field broke up and moved towards each other. One side held the ball and set it down in front of them, both sides getting into a crouch and staring at the man or woman across from them. "Well, let's just say you're going to find out why in about three seconds."

"Blue four two, red six seven!" one of the Clones shouted. "Hut, hut, hike!"

The man just in front of him snapped the ball back and then it began. Both sides charged forward half a step and smashed into their opponent. The lines dissolved into a mass of heaving bodies. The crack of the armor plates hitting each other was clearly audible. The group watched as one of the Clones broke free and charged down the field spinning past someone trying to catch him. The apparent leader, the one holding the ball, took several steps backwards, and sent it flying down the field.

The Clones standing on the sidelines cheered as the ball was caught. The runner tucked it protectively under one arm, and then bolted down the field. Sally and the others watched in amazement as he vaulted right over another defender who was trying to stop him. Seconds later, he was in the panted sector of the field. The genetically engineered soldier leapt up into the air and pumped his fist while his team erupted into cheers. From the other side came a chorus of congratulations and good natured jeering.

"Even in their games, they prepare for war," Antoine said, a bittersweet smile on his face.

"True," Sonic said, "but let them have their fun while they can." Then he rose from his seat. "Let me know how the game ends."

* * *

It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. She was standing at a railing, looking down into the massive center of the base. He could feel her despair as he drew clone, a familiar agony that welled up inside of him. For a flash, he was at Knothole, a young child screaming in the night at the faceless nightmares that had robbed him of everything. 

He walked up and put his arms underneath her shoulder, scooping her up. She looked up at him, and he saw his own eyes staring back at him.

"I miss home." Saria said. "I don't like it here."

"I know, Saria, I know," he awkwardly pulled her in, careful not to hurt her. "But we're going to have to live here for a while."

"How long? Till you beat Shadow?"

Sonic almost blurted out how he felt, that he was not certain if he ever could beat his twin. Every time he trained, pushed himself a little harder, strained himself a little more, it seemed like his brother could pull another trick out from under his sleeves.

"Yeah, probably," he ran a hand through her hair. "You want to go find Guy or Tails?"

She shook her head no, and just leaned a little more into him. The hedgehog got an idea then.

"Well, in that case, how about a race?" he asked. She looked up at him, an eyebrow raised. "Last one to the mess hall's a rotten egg!"

He set her down and took off then. He felt her competitive spirit, the one he remembered so well from the previous winter, rise. "No fair!" she shouted at him. "I don't even know where it is!"

"Guess you'll have to keep up then." He smirked back at her.

She glared at her father, before revving up her feet and taking off after him. It didn't take her long to catch up. Her father just laughed.

* * *

Halfway around the world, rain was falling on Mobotropolis. People huddled in their homes, fearful of stepping out onto the streets, where the armored boots of Clone troopers stomped against permacrete. However, there was one group of people at the steps of the palace that stood out in the rain, heedless of the drenching downpour. Before them was a raised pedestal, and on it a body. 

"And thus do we honor the fallen," Jaster said, helping Xarga to carefully arrange the arms of his brother over his chest.

The faces of both men were sober, but the pain was clearly manifested in their eyes. A good soldier was trained to accept the loss of a comrade—death was an inevitability in their line of work—but that didn't make it any easier for them, now that they contemplated that Daveriel would not be coming back. The snow leopard's face was serene, peaceful, a stark contrast to the Death Watchmen gathered to honor him.

"Good bye, brother," Xarga's voice was broken, he was barely holding together.

Brianna stepped forward. "In life, we knew him as the youngest of our number. We raised him, he was a brother and a son to us all. We watched him grow up, and we molded him into what he was destined to be. There is not one of us here that doesn't owe him our lives…" she trailed off, her eyes falling on the body of her friend. "Perhaps it is fitting that he should be the first to blaze the trail to the next life. Fight on, Daveriel, and remember to save a spot in your squad for us."

"And thus, we return you to the dust and ash from which we sprang." Jaster stepped back, and leveled his flamethrower. A symbolic gesture, more intimate and personal than some random torch or ordinary flame.

The brief puff of white hot fire instantly caught, and steam and smoke intertwined and rose into the sky. Jaster stared unblinking at the pyre, though it hurt his eyes to do so.

"Company, salute!" he ordered, snapping to attention.

Xarga, Brianna, and the others went ramrod straight. A group of seven Clones off to the side shoulder their rifles and pointed them towards the rain swollen sky. They fired one, twice, three times.

Around the city, others noticed the rising bolts, and started their own funeral fires. The flames leaped into the air as the bodies of the fallen soldiers, Mobian and Clone alike, were cremated.

Jaster nodded, and then slowly turned. Behind him, next to Brianna, was Cado. The young wolf held his father's helmet, his appearance as stern as ever. He was growing up just like his parents. The Mandalore took it the helmet from his child, and slowly slid the silver armor over his head. Then he reached down and hugged the boy.

"Never forget this lesson, Cado. Never."

"I won't, Father," he whispered.

* * *

"Well, what do you think of our chances?" Shysa looked over to Bendark/ 

The timber wolf shrugged his shoulders in response. "Somewhere between slim and none, I'd say."

"In other words, the same as always," She raised an eyebrow at him. The other Clone chuckled and nodded towards her.

Shysa sighed after that, though. Her mind was trying to figure out how they might win. Shadow now had access to capital ships with orbital capacity. He had more soldiers, more industrial capacity, and a larger base of support to call upon than they did. Still, they were under the leadership of Sally Acorn now, if anyone would be able to find a war against such lopsided odds, it would be her. She looked down upon the bustle of refuge activity for a moment, and then noticed someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. It was Derrick. She and Bendark snapped to salute him, but he quickly waved them to ease.

"Both of you doing okay?" he asked.

"Just fine sir," she told him, going to parade rest.

"Good to hear," the husky could tell that he was smiling behind his helmet. "Now, I've got a proposal for you and your squad. I need a few groups of Clones to sneak out with me to Concord Dawn. There's some stuff there we need to get our hands on."

Concord Dawn? The place from which their people had come eons before? Shysa didn't know what to say for a moment. She knew everything there was to know about the mythic mount range, but she never dreamed that she would go there one day.

"What do you mean, Sir?" She asked.

"An army must have leaders," Derrick quipped, "and those leaders must be properly equipped to lead their forces."

* * *

Back in Mobotropolis, Shadow tossed and turned in a medical bed. His leg had been patched up some time ago, even if the fact that it was coated in durasteel made it a little complicated to operate on. 

Within his dreams, his rage burned. Again. Again, his brother had managed to defy him. Again he managed to whisk Sally away from him. So close, he had come so close to total victory. He held the capital, the world, even. But as long as Sonic was out there, as long as he and the princess were able to defy him, his rule would never be complete. It would never be truly secure. Within the strange twisting consciousness that came with his slumber, he dreamed of a thousand different ways to break and destroy his sibling. He would hunt him down relentlessly, until he had his brother on his knees. He would watch Sonic beg, would slaughter his friends one by one before him. He would break him, and then, only then, would he destroy his twin.

But would he be able to? A moment of doubt flickered in his mind. Sonic's power had grown significantly, perhaps even faster than his own, and when he had finally given in to his rage, the blue hedgehog had managed to summon enough fury that Shadow knew, beyond any doubt, that had those reinforcements not arrived when they did, he would have been undone. It was entirely possible, however unlikely, that his twin might manage a victory.

He would have to get more power. Yes, power, that would be the answer.

"It is power that you seek? Strength enough to destroy your twin?"

Shadow gasped and in his dream, he looked around. He could not locate the source of the voice.

"Who are you?" he asked. For a brie moment he wondered if he was going insane.

"Worry not, my good Mobian, you are not losing your sanity. I am quite real." The voice was deep, and something about it sounded… otherwordly.

"Show yourself." Shadow kept scanning, focusing his mind, preparing himself for a battle.

The figure teleported. There was no flash of smoke or light, no bang or pop. He just appeared one moment. The black hedgehog took a step back. The being that stood before him looked like nothing else he had ever seen before. Its entire body was made of an aqua blue, almost water type substance. Its hands sported three massive claws, its feet two large talons that somehow looked wickedly sharp despite what his body was apparently made of. A pair of luminous green eyes, proportionally large compared to its head stared into his very soul. Shadow could feel the power of this creature, even though he knew this was nothing more than a dream.

"Who… what are you," he asked. It sounded stupid, but awe wasn't an emotion that the ARC trooper was used to feeling, and certainly not on this level.

The being chuckled. "Chaos. That is my name now. I have been trapped for countless eons within a prison, the keys to my freedom scattered across the galaxy. For ages I have sat and watched, waiting for one that I could commune with. You are that person, Shadow. Free me, and you shall have enough power to crush your brother with but a gesture."

"How would I find these keys, and how do I know that I can trust you?" he crossed his arms over his head.

"I can show you to a place that will tell you where they may be found. As for my word, What purpose would I have in betraying a capable partner? How would that benefit me?"

Shadow thought about it for a moment, and then smiled. What did he have to lose?

"It's a deal."

Chaos' features rippled, twisting into a smile.

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Well, I'm not really certain what else to say here, aside from thank you. Thanks to all the readers who put up with my problems, the typos, and delays. An extra special thanks to Cyrex, Philoworm, and Far2rich. Without their help, this story probably wouldn't be what it turned into. 

With this final chapter closes the second of three stories. It may be some time, though, before I start the third one. I've got another story to finish up real quickly, that I've put on hold for far too long. However, as always, I welcome ideas, suggestions, and requests for things that you'd like to see. Advice on the name for the next story is also welcome (try as I might, mine always tend to sound corny).

Until we should meet again folks, I wish you the best of luck in life, and stay safe.

Take care.

This is Red Mage 04, signing out.


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